


Pembroke Pines

by RelentlassHuggerSquad



Category: Professional Wrestling, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Angst, Drama, Evil Twins, F/M, Gang Violence, Gen, Light Romance, Mob AU, Platonic Relationships, Police Procedural, Soap Opera AU, dark and gritty, unlikely allies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 20:26:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 48,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelentlassHuggerSquad/pseuds/RelentlassHuggerSquad
Summary: Welcome to Pembroke Pines, where on the outside everything looks ideal, but in this coastal town, there is chaos looming. A gang war is brewing between the Riott Squad and NXT. The Mayor, Charlotte Flair, is in love with somebody she shouldn't be. Officer Becky Lynch and her partner Finn Balor are having to deal with bodies dropping all over town and are about to stumble on a massive conspiracy. PI extraordinaire Alexa Bliss and her allies have dirt on all the major players in Pembroke Pines, but what will this dirt cost them? Sasha Banks is a firefighter, who is trying to track down a serial arsonist. While Bayley is trying to deal with an increasing number of people coming into her hospital due to the uptick in violence.Pembroke Pines is about to get a lot crazier.(Tags will be added as more chapters are published and characters are added)





	1. Welcome to Pembroke Pines pt 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ahunter8056](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunter8056/gifts).

On the outside, many would assume that Pembroke Pines was a peaceful city. Alexa Bliss knew better than that, she had always known that the coastal city was full of odd, seedy characters. To the outside world, Pembroke Pines was perfect, everybody stayed in their lanes, things were crisp and clean. Alexa wasn't fooled in the slightest thought, she had snapped pictures of the city's shady underbelly. She wasn't sure how she ended up a private eye, she had just fallen into it. Mayor Charlotte Flair might have run things on the surface level, but Alexa was the one with the real power underneath. 

There wasn't much that went on in the city, that Alexa didn't know about. She knew that Ruby Riott's Squad of misfits were gaining traction and slowly taking over the docks, kicking out the gang known as NXT. That beneath the fake charming smile of the mayor Charlotte Flair, there was a cunning woman in love with somebody else's husband. She knew that Police Chief Triple H was quickly losing the support of his officers and the town. The newest power couple in town Andrade and Zelina didn't even sleep in the same bed and were quite possibly in love with other people, but only together for the press. 

Alexa knew more than was probably healthy but nobody dared to touch her or Bliss Investigations. If they tried, well Alexa had contingency plans in the form of Nikki Cross and Drew McIntrye. Drew kept his ear to the ground, and Nikki was well...psychotic and insanely loyal to Alexa. Plus if those failed, Alexa had flash drives stored in locations around the city that could potentially ruin everybody's lives in Pembroke Pines. 

What Alexa wasn't expecting that day as she drank her coffee and sat on a fire-escape, was that a murder was going to be committed right across the way from her. Alexa had gotten a tip that she should be watching the Australian Outback Casino, that something big was going to go down. Little did Alexa know, was that Alicia Fox a known junkie and former informant to Alexa was to be thrown from the opposing building. Alexa heard more than saw the impact of Alicia hitting the pavement below. 

Alexa cringed and set her coffee down, she did not want to be around when the police of Pembroke Pines showed up. She snapped a few pictures of Alicia body and then shifted her camera up to snap a blurry picture of a smug red-haired man. The man wasn't anybody Alexa knew, but he seemed pleased about Alicia's death. 

Despite the town's clean image, death and chaos weren't all that uncommon on the streets. Alexa had witnessed her fair share of dead bodies. There were even more dead bodies were piling up as Ruby Riott's crew started provoking a gangland war with NXT. A feeling of regret surged inside of Alexa as she thought about Alicia. They had been friends once, but their paths had gone different ways, even Alicia had deserved better than being thrown out of a window. 

Shooting a quick text message to Drew to come to pick her up, Alexa descended from the fire escape. The quicker she got out of the area the better. Already there was a crowd of onlookers gathering to gawk at the mangled body. Alexa did her best to hide in the shadows, ignoring the knawing feeling of guilt in her gut. The petite blonde had learned to cut off her feelings towards the other residents of the city, she cared about Nikki and Drew, but that those were mostly transactional relationships. Being in the PI business had jaded Alexa and she refused to allow herself to feel. 

\-----

Becky cringed as she got out of her squad car, she could already tell it was going to be a bad one. Seven hours into a twelve-hour shift and things were just getting worse. When she and Finn had gotten the call about a jumper, Becky had expected that perhaps she'd simply have to talk somebody down, instead what she found was a bloody mess. 

She helped Finn clear the crowd back, rolling her eyes skyward to avoid having to look at the body of Alicia Fox. Foxxy was well known at the station, always being busted for something. Becky and Finn both had been sent to handle her on a number of occasions, Becky had always tried to lend a hand. Alicia had been a proud person even in the midst of her addictions and Becky felt sad that it had all come to this. 

"It never does get easier does it?" Finn asked, changing a glance over to Becky. They had been partners for close to three years, and Becky knew that she probably wouldn't have made it as long as she had without him. 

"Last time I saw her, she said she was sober." Becky gave a glum sigh. Her eyes scanned the crowd, wondering if any of these people actually knew Alicia or were just there for the spectacle of it all. 

Finn managed to give an apologetic look to Becky. "Sometimes we can't save everybody, you know as well as I do." 

There were interrupted as more sirens pierced the air. A massive hummer pulled up and Becky watched with interest as Police Chief Hunter Hearst Helmsley is better known as Triple H, stepped out. He was flanked by Captains John Cena and Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin. 

"Looks like the big guns have arrived," Becky mumbled, wondering what they were doing there. Triple H didn't normally show up unless there were cameras or a high profile case.

"Lynch, Balor. We'll take it from here." John said walking over to them. "Go ahead and head back out on patrol." 

Becky exchanged looks with Finn, but she knew better than to argue. "Captain." She gave him a curt nod and walked with Finn back to their patrol car. 

Finn hated being thrown off of cases, but something about this one was bothering him, Becky could tell. She gave him a few minutes of silence, letting him put them back in their designated patrol area. Most of the time, they covered near the docks, but that had been getting more and more dangerous with gangland activity. 

"I don't know that Foxxy jumped, I think she was pushed," Finn said after a moment. "But I also don't know why her death would warrant the Chief of Police coming out." 

Becky shrugged, the redheaded officer had learned not to pry when it came to the chief. "He's probably just trying to get ahead of things. He's been losing the support of the town for a while, he's probably just trying to save face." 

Finn just grunted and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I feel like something bigger is at play here, but I don't know what." 

"It's above our pay grade Finn, it's better not to ask." Becky had her questions too, but she was trying not to think about it. She still couldn't shake the mental picture of Alicia's dead body from her mind. "If we run into any of our favorite people, we'll ask them what the word on the street is."

That comment caused Finn to laugh and roll his eyes. “I’ll see if we can find Moon. Bring her in and debrief her.” 

Ember Moon was two-years into deep cover as a member of the Riott Squad, but when they finally built a substantial enough case against the gang, Ember was inline for a big promotion. Becky had always wanted to go undercover but hadn’t had the opportunity for it. 

“Let’s go Moon-hunting then.” Becky actually admired Ember, but when Ember was in her character as a gang member, it was easy to forget whose side the girl was actually on. 

\-----

Charlotte Flair was starting to think that she was going to have a perpetual headache for the rest of her tenure as mayor. It wasn't that her assistant Candice LeRae was dumber than a sack of bricks, but the girl was sickeningly sweet and naive. It irritated Charlotte to her core and all she wanted to do was lay hands on Candice and shake her 

Charlotte came from a political family, the Flairs, Kennedys, Clintons were Christmas card buddies. Charlotte's mother had always been a high society type, and when Ric had moved them to the coastal town, Charlotte's mother had brought her ideas to Pembroke Pines. 

However much like her father, Charlotte had never been lucky in love. It was assumed that somebody of her pedigree would marry a man befitting her prestige, but it hadn't worked out that way. Charlotte had been through two failed marriages, resorting now to focusing on her career. That didn't stop her eyes from wandering through, she was a woman with needs after all. 

The man that the mayor's eyes were currently set on was already married. Andrade 'Cien' Almas, He had come into town, full of charisma and charm, much to Charlotte's irritation she had fallen for him. However her bad luck had continued when she found out he was married, it tore at her, but she didn't have the heart to break off their meetings. 

"Excuse me, are you listening, Mayor Flair?" Candice's droning voice broke through Charlotte's daydream. 

Charlotte arched a perfectly sculpted brow and gave a slight tilt of her head. "Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked with a polished fake smile. 

Candice fixed her with a look, but then the cheeriness returned. "I was saying you have a meeting later with the Chief of Police. he wants to discuss budget cuts." 

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Charlotte took a deep calming breath. "Of course he does, I will handle the Police Chief." She promised, her tone betraying her irritation. "You can have the rest of the day off. I'll meet with Triple H later, but for now, I think I am going to take an early lunch." 

Truth be told Charlotte just wanted out of the office because she wanted to see Andrade. He was one of the few things in her life that brought her genuine joy and peace. Whenever anything else felt complicated and overwhelming, Charlotte sound solace in the fact that Andrade could talk her down. 

"As you wish boss." Candice dipped her head and then quickly fled from the Mayor's office. It was better to get out of there before Charlotte got moody again. There was nothing quite as dangerous as Charlotte when she was on a warpath, and Candice didn't want to end up like Charlotte's last assistant Jillian Hall. 

Word on the street was that Charlotte had made Jillian Hall go crazy and driven the poor woman to self-medicate. Candice had down her best to stay on Charlotte's good side, but there was no question that Charlotte could be a handful. The job paid well, but Candice had a feeling it was more hazard pay than anything else.

\-----

Ruby Riott sat in an old rocking chair, her fingers idly tapping on the armrest as she looked around the warehouse. It was a lot cleaner than the Squad's last base of operation, but Ruby wished that they had found a more secure location. Their location on the docks allowed to much free access for people to just wander in off the streets. She was watching with an almost bored expression as her closest allies stood on the second floor, holding a man over the railing. The man, who had said that his name was Matt Riddle, was struggling and begging for Ruby's associates to pull him back up. 

Sarah and Rowe looked like they were having their fun, they kept threatening to drop Matt to the warehouse's concrete floor. Liv Morgan, Ruby's closest confidant was throwing out questions and interrogating him. 

Ruby knew that she should put a stop to it, but Liv looked like she was having fun. A lot of people underestimated Liv, but Ruby had learned that her friend was the type of person to play the long game. People would think Liv was an easy mark, only to end up with their throat slit. 

"Maybe we should let him off with a warning." Ruby piped up, as the leader of the Riott Squad, her vote held sway. "He knows what happens if he comes back on our turf." Ruby really didn't want to have to bleach the ground or dispose of a body. Gaining unnecessary heat from law enforcement wasn't high on her list of duties. 

Sarah rolled her eyes but with the help of Rowe, pull the shaking and quivering Matt Riddle back over the railing. 

"Thank you, bro," Matt said, his lower lip trembling. The very sight of him seemed to be pissing off Ruby. He looked like a stoned surfer bum, with ratty long hair and a perpetual dumb look on his face. 

Ruby scowled and shook her head. "I'm not your bro. I want you to take a little message back to your NXT pals. Tell them the docks are officially Riott Squad territory, if we catch any of you on our turf again, we'll cut you into pieces." 

Matt seemed to pale at her words. "Mr. Cole and Mr. Fish aren't going to like that. NXT is the gang you want to mess with." Matt argued. 

Her eyes narrowing dangerously, Ruby stood to her feet. "Liv, I don't think Mr. Riddle takes me very serious. Maybe remind him why he should." 

Liv seemed to produce a knife out of thin air before Matt could say anything, Liv lashed out with the blade and cut off three of Matt's fingers to the second knuckle. 

An anguished cry escaped him as he stared down at the ruined digits of his left hand. Ruby didn't even so much as flinch as she watched the man come to terms with what had been done to him. 

"Now when I say we'll cut you into pieces, you have proof. Get out of my warehouse and don't ever let me catch you around here again." Ruby said, watching as Matt all but scurried like a rodent out of her warehouse. 

Liv wiped the blood off her blade and turned to look at Ruby. "It was mighty stupid of NXT to send one of their people to spy on us." 

"I agree with Liv, it's stupid. You think they'd be smarter than that." Sarah said as she followed Liv down from the second floor down to the first. Sarah was an enforcer of sorts for Ruby, she and Liv had been one of the first ones to recognize Ruby as the true visionary she was. The duo was insanely loyal to their leader. 

Ruby thought about it for a moment and then sighed. "Sarah why don't you take Moon, Deville, and Ziggler. Go follow that rat and see that he delivers my message. Don't put yourself in NXT's scope though, we don't want to lose any of our people." 

“I will make sure all of our people come back safely.” Sarah gave a sloppy salute, pressing a kiss to her boyfriend Rowe's cheek and then left to follow Ruby's order.

Liv moved to sit on the armrest of Ruby's rocking chair with a bored look on her face. 

"You don't have anything for me to do?" Liv asked pouting at her friend as she sheathed her blade.

"We are going to go grab a drink, come on Rowe, bring Hanson." Ruby rarely went anywhere without a bodyguard. The more power her group attained, the more likely somebody would try to take her. "Let's go grab a drink at Taker's bar." 

Liv seemed to light up at that. “I’m down to cause a little mischief at Taker’s.”


	2. Welcome to Pembroke Pines pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet some more of the fine residents of Pembroke Pines. 
> 
> Firefighter Sasha Banks, former military medic Dr. Bayley, and the gangster Aussies.

The heat from the blaze was causing sweat to drip into Sasha's eyes, blinding her. Whatever accelerant the arsonist had used to start this fire, was making it hard to combat it. Sasha had been a Pembroke Pines firefighter for almost seven years but she had never witnessed so many fires. Apparently, a new arsonist had made the city their playground and had decided to start a new fire randomly every couple of days and at random times and places. 

"Move it or lose it Banks." Shayna Baszler called, moving past Sasha with a fire extinguisher of her own. They two firefighters had been sent up to the second floor of the house to check for any people.

Sasha scowled and tried to blink the sweat from her eyes as she followed Shayna. She was exhausted and sweaty, but Sasha wasn't the type to give up. Plus if Baszler was still moving at full speed than Sasha going to try to be too. She refused to let the other girl get the better of her. 

She could hear the house groaning as the fire licked up the walls and the supports It was almost like slow motion as Sasha realized what was about to happen. 

"Nobody is here Shayna." Sasha could see the flames burning the ceiling. "We need to get out of here, now!" Sasha commanded, taking charge. 

Shayna turned to mouth off to Sasha, only for the floor beneath Shayna to fall through. Sasha dove forward, snagging Shayna by the arm. Sasha grimaced as she tried to pull Shayna back up through the hole. Beneath Shayna on the bottom floor, the fire had gotten progressively worse, it was almost like an inferno. 

"Hang on," Sasha grumbled, her arm aching as she struggled to keep her grip on Shayna. The heat from the blaze was only getting more intense and Shayna with all of her equipment weighed more than Sasha did. 

"I'm hanging on but please hurry." Shayna panted, trying not to freak out. She used her free hand to try and reach up and grab Sasha's other arm. 

There was a moment where Shayna looked terrified up at Sasha, but Sasha finally managed to pull Shayna back up, before collapsing back down. 

The two firefighters took a moment to catch their breath before Shayna shakily got to her feet. "Thank you for saving my bacon, but we can't stay here." Grabbing Sasha's wrist, Shayna yanked the girl to her feet. 

Now that their exit route was effectively caught off, they scoured the top floor for a way out. Sasha was the one who found a window that they could fit through in the bathroom. 

"It's a bit of a drop, but better injured than dead." Sasha mused, before breaking the window and calling out to the rest of their guys. 

a few short minutes later, Sasha was thankful to have her feet on the ground. She was a bit disappointed as she watched the house burn the rest of the way down. She had wanted to save the home owner's house, but she could at least be thankful that nobody had died. 

Shayna walked up behind her and gently whacked her on the shoulder. "I owe ya a drink Banks." 

Sasha winced and rubbed her arm that had been consistently throbbing since she saved Shayna. "Not tonight Basz. I don't feel like doing anything other than sinking into a not bath and going to sleep."

Noticing the wince, Shayna gave her a look. "Did you jack up your shoulder and back again?" Shayna knew more than anybody about Sasha's many injuries. It was a side effect of the job, they got their knocks and bruises.

"I don't know, but next time watch where you're going, so I don't have to rescue you," Sasha grumbled, but there was no real malice in her words. Even if she and Baszler didn't see eye to eye and competed over everything, there was nobody else that Sasha would rather run into a burning building with. 

Shayna raised a brow and scoffed. "I'll be sure to save you scrawny behind next time." She teased before her soot-covered face softened. "I owe you one, thank you Banks."

"It's all good, I know you'd do the same for me." Sasha gave her a tired smile, before heading back to the fire truck. She had a feeling her captain would leave a few people to put out the hot spots, but that she'd be allowed to go back to the station. 

There was something else bothering Sasha, something fishy about all the fires. She wanted to go over the case files while it was still on her mind. 

\-----

Doctor Bayley Martinez loved helping people, a former army medic, she had served two tours before eventually settling in Pembroke Pines. Bayley had learned that she loved saving people's lives and had an affinity for trauma surgeries. However, despite her years of experience in combat, she was shocked to discover that Pembroke Pines was a war zone of its own. 

Every day more and more people were coming in, victims of the rising gang violence. Having been from San Jose, California, Bayley had known a lot of violence growing up. She had thought that Pembroke Pines would be different, but she had been wrong. The side-ponytail wearing doctor was currently checking on a patient that she had patched up earlier.

"So you going to tell me what happened and why you're missing three fingers tips?" Bayley asked as she attempted to get Matt Riddle to tell her what had happened. 

Matt Riddle shrugged his shoulders, staring down at the ugly tile floor of the hospital. "I was trying to make a new surfboard."

Bayley knew it was a lie the second the words stumbled out of her patient's mouth. "I'm not the cops, you can tell me what happened." 

Locking eyes with Bayley, a sort of fire entered Matt's eyes. "I said it was an accident, thank you for patching me up doc, but I'd like to leave now." 

Bayley had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. She didn't know why people insisted on being so difficult all the time. She was just trying to help him out anyway, but she had learned that some people didn't want help. 

"Fine, I'll make sure we send the paperwork in," Bayley said, leaving Matt in the recovery room. 

"What's got your ponytail all knotted too tightly?" Bayley's co-worker Trish asked. Trish was a great doctor, everybody in town seemed to love her. 

Bayley gritted her teeth and flopped down in her computer chair at her station. "Just the usual. A patient is just being difficult and hardheaded." She tried to force a smile, she was supposed to be happy and not let her negative emotions get the best of her. 

Trish gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know some days are rougher than others, but you'll pull through." 

"I thought serving overseas was rough, I didn't expect it to be a war zone at home." Bayley had been through a lot, had saved a lot of lives and lost a few friends along the way. "Pembroke Pines was supposed to be a fresh start, but it seems every more chaotic here." 

Trish placed a hand on Bayley's shoulder. "It wasn't always like this, you just have all the gangs fighting over turf. Hopefully, the police will toughen up on crime and everything will die down. We just have to wait out the storm."

Bayley knew her friend was right, but that didn't make it any easier. Bayley was a take-charge kind of person, she had never excelled at sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing. 

"I can tell you're still down so why don't you go hold some of the babies in the NICU, you'll feel better." Trish gave Bayley a tiny smile, knowing that would pep Bayley right back up. "You're a good hugger and those cute little babies, need some love." 

"Are you sure you can handle everything without me for a bit?" Bayley didn't want to leave Trish short-handed. 

Trish waved her off. "Get going, you're due for a break anyway." 

Bayley gave her friend a quick hug, before leaving her station. Maybe holding some cute babies was exactly what she needed. 

\---

"Did you take care of it?" Toni Storm asked, looking around at the other faces at the conference table. "For the hotel to function as a business we need to keep it legitimate, we can't attract too much attention." 

The other people at the table seemed to nod in agreement. Aside from the majority of them being Australian, it was strange to think that all those present would be able to get along, let alone have anything in common. 

"Murphy took care of it." Emma Dashwood was dressed in a power suit that would have had congresswomen quaking in their boots. She was wearing her sunglasses indoors, not allowing any of the other people present to see how hungover she actually was. She liked to keep an air of mystery around her. 

"You got be joking me mate, he pushed a girl out the window." Billie Kay snarled, jerking her thumb down the table to Buddy Murphy. As usual, Billie was in a matching outfit with her best friend Peyton. The duo might as well have been sisters, they had grown up together. The Kay and Royce crime families had long been allies in Australia, so it was only fitting that their heirs be friends as well. 

"Agreed, that was pretty reckless. We have to be smarter." Peyton said, nodding her head slowly. She reached for Billie's hand lacing their pinkies. "Billie knows what she's talking about." 

The sound of a chair being thrown back, caused everybody's heads to snap up. Rhea Ripley was glaring daggers at Peyton and Billie. "Murphy only did as he was instructed. You, two idiots, were the ones that let that girl up here, you need to think with your brains but I'm not sure you have any." Rhea said, clenching her perfectly sculpted jaw. 

Emma slowly raised a brow, raising a hand to quiet Billie and Peyton who were about to shriek in protest. "Easy now, let's not fight ladies. We are more civilized than that, and our enemies are not at this table." Emma explained, attempting to keep the peace. 

Toni studied the way that Emma worked the room, she hadn't expected the woman to take charge but she was glad that she had. Toni had never expected to be sent to America either as a stand-in for her father. She had been born in New Zealand but at a young age adopted by an Australian mafia boss. Her father had called her the 'thunder from down under' for her ability of decision making. 

Toni's father and some of the major crime families in Australia had decided to come together to establish a hotel and casino. The Australian Outback Hotel was quite popular in the town, but this was a trial run. That's why Peyton, Billie, Toni, Rhea, and Emma along with some associates were all there, to report their progress back home. If things went smoothly, then eventually they would increase their operations. In their opinion, Pembroke Pines and its economy were ripe for the picking. 

Buddy Murphy looked bored as he stared down the table at the women. "I did what was needed, I threw the woman out of the window. She was crazy, they assumed she was a jumper." Buddy promised, his usual smug grin falling into place. 

Rhea rubbed her temples, her jaw still tightly clenched. "I don't want to have to clean up any messes. Let's just stick to the plan and fly under the radar. We'll do what we have to do though if it comes down to it." Rhea was known as a tough-as-nails enforcer for her own father's crime family. Nobody wanted to be in the way when Rhea's temper flared. 

"You two awfully quiet," Peyton commented, nodding to the men sitting on either side of Buddy Murphy. Pete Dunn and Walter had little use for words, but they were some of the best hitmen that side of the pacific. 

"Not the talkative sorts?" Billie added, studying the two men with a look of mild interest.

Pete Dunn just cracked his knuckles and exchanged a look with Walter who remained equally silent. 

Toni had to fight a smile, she admired the fact that the two men preferred the silent approach. She wasn't even sure they had a tongue, not that she checked of course. "Emma is right. Let's all agree to talk out any future issues, that way we can avoid further complications."

Emma seemed surprised that Toni was talking her side and backing her up, but she didn't question it. "Well then, I guess we can all leave. I'm thinking of seeing what the local pubs have to offer, anybody else wants to come with?" Emma watched as slowly hands went up around the table. "Excellent, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all are enjoying the story. Be sure to tell me who your favorite characters are and who you'd like to see interact in the future. 
> 
> Be sure to leave kudos, comments and subscribe to my little soap opera.


	3. Riott in a bar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As more and more of the citizens of Pembroke Pines interact, potential alliances are made, and chaos has a way of breaking out.

Alexa Bliss sat in the corner of The Undertaker's Bar and Grill. Mark Calloway, known to the people of the town as The Undertaker, had always been kind to Alexa. Which was why she felt safe sitting in his bar along with Nikki and Drew. It was very rare for people to dare to start drama in 'Taker's bar. It was neutral ground for everybody, nobody wanted to provoke the big man. 

"Did you get the info I asked for?" Alexa asked as Nikki slid a manilla envelope her way. 

"I did, I gathered everything we had on Alicia. I can't believe Foxxy's gone." Nikki Cross wasn't particularly close to many people, but Alicia had always been nice to her. 

"Well, we can't do anything for her, except try to get to the bottom of why she was murdered." Alexa was still trying to process all she had witnessed. She wasn't sure why she was given the tip at the hotel, but she wondered if it hadn't just been Alicia that had given her the tip. Maybe Alicia had known that she was in trouble. 

Drew took a long swig from his beer. "Do we know for sure that she didn't just jump? Alicia wasn't what I would call stable." He pointed out, playing Devil's advocate. 

Nikki frowned at Drew's choice of words. "Stable or not, she didn't deserve to die."

"I am not saying that she did. All I am saying is that she had a history of addiction. It is very possible her demons go the worst of her." Drew said holding his hands up to show that he didn't actually want to provoke a fight. 

Alexa rolled her eyes and began to look through the folder, trying to process all of the information inside of it. It looked like her former friend was barely getting by, but then start two weeks prior, Alicia had been making big deposits. 

"I am curious as to where she was getting this money," Alexa said, pointing to the banking info.

"Maybe she had turned to prostitution," Drew suggested, ignoring the look of disgust that Alexa was shooting him. The PI may have become more jaded living in Pembroke Pines, but she still wanted to believe that some of the residents could be decent people. 

Nikki could sense that Alexa wasn't happy and elbowed Drew in the side. "Don't talk about the dead like that, it's bad karma."

Alexa watched the two Scottish patriots bicker back and forth, sometimes they got so busy insulting each other it sounded like another language. Alexa gave a shake of her head and looked past the two, to take in the other patrons of Taker's that night. She could see Mayor Flair by the bar, discussing business while stealing flirty glances at Andrade Almas who was with his wife Zelina. 

If Charlotte thought she was being sneaky about her interest in the man, she was gravely mistaken. Alexa had too many pictures of cheating husbands that she knew what an affair looked like. However, what surprised her was that Zelina Vega-Almas seemed to know about her husband's wandering gaze and didn't care in the slightest. 

Alexa had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps there was an arrangement of sorts, but she didn't question it. She wouldn't question it, until answering that question brought her some much-needed cash. 

Charlotte and her fling weren't the only people in the bar, Alexa also spotted some different faces, ones that were also unknown. She didn't know much about the Australians that had invaded the town, what she did know was that one of the men was the same one who had appeared out of the window Alicia had fallen from. Trying to subtle take his picture, Alexa could see that he was staring in her direction with that smug smirk still on his face. He gave Alexa the creeps so she quickly looked away. 

A few off duty cops were around, as well as some of the known members of the Riott Squad gang. They all sat on different sides of the bar, but there was still a bit of tension in the air. 

"It seems like a slow night," Nikki commented, fiddling with a straw wrapper. 

Alexa sighed in agreement, glancing to the door as Sasha Banks entered, followed by Bayley. Alexa had quite a bit of history with Sasha, they had never truly gotten along but could communicate when somebody was there to buffer. Left to their own devices they'd end up in a snark-off and punching each other. 

Drew who was aware of the beef between Alexa and Sasha snorted. "Maybe business will pick up with a catfight." 

Alexa scoffed and crinkled her nose. "You're such a dude. Go fetch me a drink, Drew." Alexa ordered, tearing her eyes away from where Bayley and Sasha settled in the opposite corner. She didn't know what all was going on, but the newer patrons of Taker's Bar added up to an odd mixture.

\---

Sasha had been happy when she finally got off work. She had gone to see her best friend Bayley who checked out her shoulder for her. There were very few people that Sasha felt particularly close to, Bayley was at the top of the list. Bayley had been the one to suggest that they got to the bar together to get a cold drink. It didn't hurt that 'Taker's had the best soft pretzels in town. 

Grabbing a seat at a free table, Sasha found her gaze lingering on Alexa. She honestly didn't like the little blonde private eye. She thought the girl was annoying and conceited, it didn't help that Alexa was always showing up at fires and getting in Sasha's way. 

"You glare any harder at Bliss, and you might get arrested for murder." Bayley teased, her voice breaking through the mental haze surrounding Sasha. 

Sasha hummed softly and then shifted her attention to Bayley. "If I got arrested for murder, would you write to me?"

Bayley hesitated for a moment, but only to mess with Sasha some more. "Of course I would write to you. I'd probably be in the next cell over." She said, trying to appease Sasha. She didn't want her friend to be in a foul mood since it would take forever to get her out of it. 

The words brought a genuine smile to Sasha's face, she knew how lucky she was to have a best friend like Bayley. The doctor grounded Sasha and kept her from going down a darker path. Bayley was always the one treating Sasha's burns and miscellaneous injuries from the job. 

"So, how was your day? Save any lives?" Sasha asked Bayley hadn't been quite as perky as her usual self. 

Bayley let her head fall into her hands and groaned. "You wouldn't believe my day. With the uptick in gang violence, we've been having more people come in with those types of injuries. Stabbings, gunshot wounds. it's getting worse. Honestly, the best part of my day was when you came in." 

Sasha nodded absentmindedly rubbing her shoulder. "I am sorry, I didn't come to meet you for lunch. I had to deal with another fire, the serial arsonist strikes again." 

A sympathetic smile crossed Bayley's features. She knew just how much Sasha wanted to catch the person setting random buildings on fire. "Don't worry, the guy's going to mess up some time and you'll catch him," Bayley assured her, reaching across the table to squeeze her best friend's hand. 

Sasha was about to reply, when 'Taker walked over to hand them their drinks. Sasha pulled her hand away from Bayley's and nodded to the big tattooed man. "Thank you, Mark." 

The giant of a man simply grunted and nodded at her, mumbled something that sounded like 'welcome'. He was always good to the officers, doctors, and firefighters of the town, giving them free drinks on occasion. Mark had actually allowed Sasha to work at his bar a few nights a week when she was putting herself through college. The man had always paid her decently and gave her the time off she needed to be successful. 

Bayley got off of her stool and quickly hugged 'Taker, who looked slightly startled. "Thank you, Mark." She said, giggling as he grunted again and left for his normal position by the bar. 

"You're braver than most Bay, not many people would try and hug him." Sasha pointed out. 

Bayley rolled her eyes. "Even a tattooed biker needs a hug every once and a while." She pointed out shrugging. "Besides, I'm a hugger. He knows that by now." 

Sasha just laughed and took a long swig of her beer. "Now, tell me about the rest of your day." 

\-----

"I am, stripes," Liv announced, a pleased smile on her face as she sunk yet another striped pool ball. "Ruby look how good I'm playing," Liv said drawing the attention of Ruby. 

The leader of the Riott Squad gang, merely smile and gave a nod. "You're doing great Livvy." She said breaking away from the conversation she was having with Sarah. 

Sarah and Ember had just returned from the task that Ruby had sent them on earlier, and they were debriefing their leader. Ruby frowned as she listened to them talk about how Riddle's first stop hadn't been to NXT to tell them about Ruby's message but rather to the hospital. 

"You would think that they don't take us seriously enough," Ruby grumbled, irritation flickering in her gaze. 

"Do you want me to handle it, boss?" Rowe asked, more than willing to take a couple of boys and rough some people up. 

"Ruby it's your turn." Liv interrupted, the only one brave enough to do so. 

Ruby's attention shifted to Liv and she gave another small smile. "I'll take my turn in just a second, I need to finish this conversation." 

Liv looked disappointed but went back to playing pool by herself, until a taller blonde put her hand on the table. Liv followed the hand up to the person it belonged too and was surprised to see Charlotte Flair leaning over the table. 

"Can I help ya, Madam Mayor?" Liv asked, tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy. 

Charlotte shook her head. "No, but I can help you. It looks like you need somebody to play with, I'll play with you." Charlotte offered. 

Liv looked between Ruby who was still deep in conversation and then Charlotte who was flashing a dazzling white smile at her. "Yeah, okay sure. I am the stripes though." Liv said handing the pool stick to the tall boulder of a woman. 

Charlotte let out a melodic laugh. "Don't worry about it, I prefer to be solids anyways." 

It was about that time when Becky Lynch and Finn Balor walked into the bar. They were making a beeline for Ember who was torn between watching Liv and Charlotte play pool, and listening to Ruby and Sarah break down their next play. 

"Ms. Moon, we need you for questioning," Finn said, grabbing Ember's elbow.

All at once the air seemed to get heavy, as Rowe, Hanson, Ziggler and the rest of the Riott Squad members turned on the Becky and Finn. 

Becky could sense that Ember in order to keep her cover, was about to do something stupid. "Listen here, we don't want any trouble, we'll just take the lass and be on our merry way." 

Ruby Riott slowly got to her feet, snatching the pool stick from a stunned Charlotte Flair. "I don't think Ember wants to go with you. I think she was busy playing pool with us." There was an underlying threat to Ruby's voice. 

"She doesn't have a choice, she's either coming with us, or we're taking you all into custody," Finn said, trying to stand his ground. 

Charlotte was torn as she watched the situation starting to get tenser. "Officers, what is this really about?" She inquired, trying to keep everybody calm.

Becky seemed to notice that the Mayor was there for the first time. "Well Madam Mayor, we're here to take Ms. Moon in for some questioning. There seems to have been a lot of warehouse fires lately and she's been known to set a fire or two." 

Ember scowled at the accusation. "I haven't done anything wrong. I am getting really sick and tired of always being your department's scapegoat." She snapped, taking a step towards Becky. 

Becky grabbed the undercover officer by the arm and roughly pinned her over the pool table. "You don't have a choice, not stop resisting." She snapped at the smaller woman who was squirming around. 

"Let her go." Ruby snapped, incensed at how her associate was being treated. She started to raise her pool stick, ready to fight on Ember's behalf but was stopped by Charlotte. 

"It's better to let them take her. I'll bail her out for you." Charlotte promised, noting that Andrade was watching her from across the bar. She wanted to go be with him, but she knew to make an alliance with the Squad was a better political step in this town. 

Behind the bartop, 'Taker let out a sort of low growl. "Please take your drama outside of my bar officers." He demanded as his eyes narrowed in on Becky and Finn. It was clear that they were wearing out their welcome. 

Becky and Finn nodded and hauled Ember back, pushing her towards the door. Ember for her part had stopped struggling already knowing that she had played her part well enough to maintain her cover. 

Ruby watched them go, irritated that the police had picked up one of her best people. She turned to Sarah again and sighed. "Take Hanson and Rowe, follow those cops at a distance and if they try anything funny, you know what to do." She hissed quietly. 

Charlotte watched how the gang leader handled herself, surprised at the ruthless efficiency. "Well, I guess our game is over," Charlotte said to Liv. 

Liv pouted and nodded. "Yeah I guess so, we'll have to play again sometime Mayor Flair." Liv gave a sad smile and then went to Ruby's side, taking up her usual position of sitting on the armrest of Ruby's chair. Liv leaned into Ruby's shoulder, trying to calm down the tattooed woman's flaring temper. 

\-----

From the corner, Alexa slowly tilted her head, trying to process the scene she had just witnessed. She had seen Ember Moon getting picked up more times by the police than any other Squad member. "Nikki, what do you make of them?"

Nikki crinkled her nose, shifting her attention to the rest of the patrons. "I am surprised to see the Mayor talking to them. Isn't that a conflict of interest? Her whole stance is being tough on crime, yet she's being awfully friendly."

Alexa nodded slowly, wondering if there was perhaps a power shift occurring in Pembroke Pines. "There are a lot of new players in this town, we're going to have to be careful," Alexa said, wondering if any of those new players had to do with Alicia death. She couldn't help but feel like it was all connected somehow. 

"So what do you want us to do?" Drew asked, curious about what Alexa would want. 

"Follow your instincts Drew. Take pictures and listen closely, maybe you can find out something useful. After all, knowledge is power in this town." Alexa said, leaning back in her chair. The more knowledge that Alexa had, the safer she felt she would be in the changing tides of the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you all are enjoying the story. I find it extremely fun to write. Be sure to leave kudos, comments and subscribe. You don't want to miss any of the chaos of Pembroke Pines.


	4. Knowledge is power in this town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Becky and Finn pulling Ember out of her deep cover assignment haven't gone the way they wanted. Will their reckless action cost Ember Moon her life? Charlotte Flair is just trying to stay a step in front of all the changes coming her way, but is she making a deal with the devil? Speaking of deals, two other criminal factions seek to make an alliance to take out the Squad, will they succeed. What happens when straight-laced Bayley is forced against her will to play Mob doctor.

Becky Lynch did not release Ember Moon from the handcuffs until they were safely in the interrogation room. It was only then that she freed the undercover cop and stepped back. 

The look that Ember was giving her, should have been enough to cower most other officers on the spot. Ember looked like a caged animal that wanted more than anything to lash out, but somehow managing to keep a lid on her temper. 

“Sorry to pull you out of your little mission but we needed to talk,” Becky said, sitting down at the table. 

“Are you actually a blonde because what you did was stupid.” Ember snapped, glaring Becky down, before turning to look at Finn. “You of all people know better. You could have compromised my cover. What were you thinking, arresting me at ‘Takers? You’re going to get me killed.” 

Finn looked a little uncomfortable. “We were going to pick you up by the docks, but we didn’t see you there.” 

“Did you guys think to use your brains and contact my handler? If you wanted information, I could have met you somewhere, but you caused a scene.” Ember was furious, she had put years into her cover. She didn’t want it messed up because two other officers jumped the gun. 

Becky frowned, staring down at the table unable to meet Ember’s eyes. “I’m sorry, we just wanted to know if you knew anything about the death of Alicia Fox.” 

Ember seemed taken aback by the news. She hadn’t known Fox well, but she had crossed paths a few times with the other girl. “She’s dead? How’d it happen?”

Becky studied Ember’s response, while Finn filled Ember in on what they knew. They explained how Triple H and the others had appeared on the scene claiming it was a suicide when it was very clearly a murder. 

As the news landed, Ember appeared to get riled up again. “You’re not even on the case? You pulled me out of my cover, risking my life, for a murder case you’re not even on?” Ember was about ready to rip them a new one. 

Finn held up his hands trying to get her to calm down. “We won’t do it again. We just thought that perhaps the Riott Squad might have something to do with it. Did you know about it?” 

“When my Squad makes a move I let people know. Alicia wasn’t a threat to Ruby or anybody else. I would have been told if we were going to kill some random nobody.” Ember was almost offended by Finn’s suggestion that she was withholding information.

“Are you sure they would even tell you?” Becky questioned, trying to choose her words carefully. She hadn’t chosen them carefully enough, because she saw anger flicker in Ember’s gaze.

Ember stood up so quickly that her chair ended up falling over. “Listen here Raggedy Ann, I didn’t spend all this time undercover being mediocre. If the Squad had something to do with it, I would know and I would have told somebody. So you keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way because one of us has a job to do. If you two ever pull a stunt like you pulled tonight, the Chief won’t be your biggest worry. I’ll take your badges and shove them so far up-”

Ember was interrupted from her tirade as the door opened to reveal the Chief. Triple H looked extremely tired, but more surprising was the fact that right next to him was a perky looking Charlotte Flair. 

“Officers Lynch and Balor why is Ms. Moon not handcuffed?” Triple H asked, his voice gruff. 

Mayor Flair looked like a cat who ate the canary. “There is no need to handcuff her now, I am here to pay her bail and free her. I saw how you two wrongly arrested her and I want her freed now.” Charlotte demanded.

Ember looked utterly confused, her gaze shifting between Triple H, Finn, and Becky. She wasn’t sure how much Charlotte had heard of her speech but forced a half-smile on her face. “Thank you, Ms. Flair, nice to see the politicians in this town sticking up for the wrongly accused.” 

Ember left then, shoulder checking Becky on the way out. Charlotte was beyond amused at this point. “Seems like Ms. Moon doesn’t like you all very much. A common theme in this town these days.” Charlotte added, before following Ember out of the station. 

“You’re letting her go, just like that?” Becky protested, her face reddening with emotion. 

Triple H let out a heavy sigh and turned his sights on Becky. “Don’t test me right now Lynch. I am so close to benching you and putting you on desk duty for a month. What were you thinking pulling Moon in like that?”

“I wasn’t-”

“That’s right you weren’t thinking.” Triple H gave a humorless chuckle. “You want so badly to make a name for yourself, but at what expense Becky? Your stupidity could have gotten one of your fellow officers killed. Now I got the mayor breathing down my neck about brutality or some bull crap.” The chief of police just shook his head, too angry to even try and explain himself further.

Finn frowned as Becky got chewed out. “I should have talked her out of it, we should have followed procedure and cleared it with Moon’s handler.” 

"Don't blame Finn, I convinced him to go along. I was the one who said we didn't need to clear it with Moon's people. I realize now that was a mistake." Becky interjected, trying to keep Finn out of trouble.

“You’re right you should have used your brains but you didn't. Now I am left cleaning up the messes you two idiots made. Get out of my police station, you’re both suspended for a week. Give me your guns, badges, and radios." Triple H demanded, holding out his hands to them. 

"Are you being serious? Chief please, don't do this." Becky begged even as she and Finn handed over their guns, badges, and radios to their boss.

Triple H gave a very grim nod. "Go, I don’t even want to look at the two of you.” Triple H turned his back on them and stormed out. 

Becky felt like she had been sucker-punched in the gut. She wanted to go after her boss and ask him to reconsider the suspension, but Finn stopped her with a look. 

“To get out of the hole lass, you gotta put the shovel down and stop digging. Let’s just go home.” Finn said, not wanting to make things worse than they already were.

Becky frowned and followed dejectedly after her partner, unable to look at any of her fellow officers in the eyes as they left the station.

\-----

"I am curious, why did you bail me out?" 

Ember Moon found herself in the Mayor's obscenely expensive car, perplexed by the Mayor taking an interest in her at all. Ember had only been in the town for a couple of years, long enough to establish her cover in the Riott Squad. She hadn't had time to make a lot of friends, but everybody knew who Charlotte Flair was.

Charlotte plastered a winning grin on her face and stole a glance at Ember. "Would you believe that I bailed you out because I genuinely care about justice?"

"Well I appreciate you bailing me out, but I am a little low on cash. So what do you want in return?" Ember had heard Charlotte promise to free her back at Taker's Bar, but she hadn't expected the Mayor to come through for her. 

"Straight to the point, I like that about you Moon." Charlotte pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned to face Ember.

Every warning bell in Ember's mind was going off at this point but she forced herself to remain still. "What do you want?" Ember asked, repeating the question. 

A coy smile seemed to slither over Charlotte's face. "I want you to tell your friend Ruby that I am a good ally to have in this town. I know a winning side when I see one, and I'd be willing to look the other way on certain matters if she keeps the bloodshed to a minimum." The blonde stated matter of factly. 

"So you want an alliance with the Squad?" Ember asked, disappointed and yet not truly surprised. There was a filthy underbelly to this city that everybody tried to hide but was starting to come through the cracks.

"Precisely, tell Riott what I said and then get back to me when you can. I'll be waiting." Charlotte explained, before nodding to the building she had dropped Ember off at. "I do believe this is where some of your friends hang out." 

Ember turned to see Sarah, Hanson, and Rowe waiting for her behind a chain-linked fence. Ember glanced back at Charlotte, who gave a light-hearted shrug. "How did you know they'd be here?"

"I'm the Mayor, it's my job to know what goes on in my city. Besides, they were doing a horrible job of tailing those two officers, so I told them I'd free you and bring you here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." Charlotte said, pointedly staring at the car door handle. 

"Ah, well thank you again for bailing me out," Ember said, taking the hint and quickly climbing out of the car. She walked towards the gate, a measure of fear coursing through her as the enforcers of the squad stared her down. It was only when Ember was close that the three reacted. 

"Glad you're okay moonshine, I was about ready to bust some heads," Sarah said, lightly punching Ember in the arm. Well, even Sarah's light punches were enough for Ember's arm to lose feeling for a little bit. 

Rowe gave Ember a once over. "The boss wants to see you, Ruby didn't like the way those pigs grabbed you, wants to see with her own eyes that you aren't hurt." 

Ember let out a sigh of relief, glad that nothing seemed to be amiss. Her cover was still intact and so far the undercover officer had nothing to worry about. 

\-----

While the Riott Squad accounted for a good portion of the criminal mischief going on in the city of Pembroke Pines, they weren't the only ones. A gang that was known simply as NXT pronounced as next, had deeper roots in the city. NXT had been there longer than the Riott Squad, grown out of the roots of exiled mafia members. 

NXT had been a melting pot of different groups, all desperate for the cut of the pie, yet assembled under one banner. They hadn't had a strong leader since the days of Adrian Neville, but after his incarceration and deportation, NXT had been floundering. That was until recently, a subsect of their core group had stepped into the limelight to claim the proverbial crown. The little group known as the Undisputed Era had established their control over NXT. 

Adam Cole was the new boss, Bobby Fish was his right-hand man. Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly were loyal enforcers, but what had really solidified Adam as the leader was the fact that he had integrated some of his biggest rivals into helping him. He made Johnny Gargano his street boss, gave Velveteen Dream control over the drug part of his business. He even handed over the gun trade to both Asuka and Shinsuke. He figured if he kept his former enemies busy running their portions of the business, they would be a lot less likely to rebel against him. 

He did have one little problem though, the Riott Squad were becoming bigger thorns in his side. In a moment of instability for NXT, the Squad had taken over the docks and some of the lesser warehouses. They had refused to pay tribute to NXT, and now that Adam was at the helm, he simply couldn't let that stand. 

He felt like it was time to bring the feral dogs to heel, which was why he was willing to make another alliance. He knew how powerful an alliance with the Australians could be. It could tip the scales in his favor, which was precisely what he meant to do. Adam wasn't about to grovel, he didn't want to appear weak, but he did need them on his side. 

Expecting to meet with one of the lesser associates of the criminal enterprise, instead, he was met in the Australian Outback's elevator by Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley. 

"Do you mind if we ride up with you?" Toni asked though Rhea's dark expression was pure ice. 

Adam forced a polite smile. "I would enjoy that, I am very glad you could pencil me in." 

"It's not every day the leader of NXT wants to treat with us," Rhea said, her tone clipped as she spoke to him. She was almost as tall as him, tall enough that she could look him dead in the eye. 

"Well, it's not every day that I have a proposition that could turn everybody's fortunes around," Adam said, steeling his expression. He wasn't about to allow himself to be cowered by some blonde girl from Australia, no matter how tall and muscular she was. 

Toni arched a brow, curious as to what sort of proposition Adam had. "Well Mr. Cole, let's meet with our other associates so we can all hear your plan together." 

Once the elevator reached the right floor, Toni and Rhea escorted Adam to a conference room. It was massive and had quite a view of the city. What caught Adam's attention though, was the fact that all of the Casino owners seemed to be there. 

"I feel underprepared," Adam said, noting that he was outnumbered. He had been told to leave his men in the lobby, but now he found himself in a room with more people than he could take in a fair fight. 

"Mr. Cole this is Emma Dashwood, those two are Billie and Peyton, you've met Rhea. The broody fellows are Murphy, Dunn, and Walter." Toni explained nodding to each person in turn. 

Adam realized that the men are their own would be able to take him, but he had a feeling the most dangerous people in the room were the women eyeing him. There was a calculated aura to them, the leader of the NXT gang could feel that even then. 

"It's nice to meet you all," Adam said with a dip of his head, trying to be respectful. "I was telling both Storm and Ripley that I have a plan that could make us all richer and get rid of some of our competition."

Emma arched a brow, tilting her head slowly. "What would this plan include exactly? We're simple Casino owners."

"Well, even Casino and their owners need to have room to expand, like say maybe having some restaurants or clubs on the waterfront." Adam reasoned. 

"You have our attention, tell us about this plan," Billie said, intrigued now. 

"The Riott Squad run the docks, how are you going to take them out of the equation?" Peyton had her reservations about this. Starting a gang war and drawing attention was bad for business. 

Adam held up a hand, silencing their questions. "We give the Squad something else to worry about. If we have to take them out one by one then so be it." He said before a smirk made it's way across his face. "I have an acquaintance that should be putting something in motion right about now. This time tomorrow, the Riott Squad might find themselves a little shake or without their precious leader." 

Emma slowly smiled and nodded. "Tell us about your plan, and we'll see if we might come to some sort of arrangement." 

\-----

Ruby Riott didn’t necessarily consider herself invincible, but she felt about as close to it as she could get. With people like Hanson, Rowe, Sarah, Deville, and others around she felt safe and protected. She had found herself lulled into an almost false sense of security. 

Which was why when the doorbell to her house rang, she didn’t hesitate to be the one to answer it. She figured Liv who was sitting in the living room playing some weird video games had simply ordered pizza. 

Instead of a pizza delivery man greeting her, she found herself staring straight into the eyes of an intricate Japanese mask. Ruby’s moment of hesitation cost her as when she came to her senses and tried to slam the door shut, the person wearing the mask stopped her. The assailant surged through, tackling Ruby into the foyer of the house. 

Ruby felt more than saw the knife as it was stabbed into her shoulder. She writhed trying to get away from her attacker, as foreign words were being shouted at her. Ruby let out a scream as her attacker managed to pin her arms down and take off the mask. 

Asuka, an attack dog for NXT, stared down at her. “Nobody is ready for Asuka or death.” The woman said slowly in broken English. 

Ruby was struggling still as Asuka ran the tip of her blood-stained blade against her throat. Asuka was studying her like an animal playing with its food. 

“You will die now,” Asuka said, the four words causing Ruby’s blood to run cold. 

The death blow never came however as a flash of pink hair tackled Asuka off of Ruby. Liv had heard the commotion over the sound of her video game, and seeing somebody attacking Ruby had forced Liv into action. 

Asuka and Liv struggled over the dagger, both getting slashes from the sharp blade. Finally, Asuka managed to get the upper hand, she wrapped two bloody hands around Liv’s throat, trying to choke the life out of her. 

Ruby had found her footing by this point and with a savage kick, punted Asuka right in the face. Ruby mounted the downed Japanese woman and began to punch her repeatedly in the face until Asuka was barely recognizable and unconscious. 

Liv was bleeding but slowly got to her feet. “Well, that was fun.” The girl commented, laughing. Soon however the laughter died on Liv’s lips as she realized how badly Ruby’s shoulder was bleeding. “We need to get you to a doctor Rue.” 

Now that her adrenaline was wearing off, Ruby’s shoulder was starting to throb with pain. Her stab wound feeling like a hot iron. “Call Rose and Deville to clean up the mess and grab her. I’ll have Ziggler meet us at the curb, I might know somebody who can help.” 

The hospital wasn’t an option for the criminals, but Ruby knew a certain side ponytail sporting doctor who she could convince to lend a hand. 

\-----

Bayley had just sent a text to Sasha letting her friend know she had made it home safely when the door to her car was yanked open. Bayley was startled because she hadn't seen anybody near her house when she pulled up. In a split second, Bayley decided to defend herself, she wasn't about to allow her car to be taken. 

However, as she stepped out of the car, she was surprised to see a bleeding Liv Morgan in front of her. "Ruby needs your help," Liv said, the wild and crazy look in the girl's eyes, intensified by what Bayley assumed was genuine fear. 

"Where is she?" Bayley asked, standing up to her full height so that she towered over Liv. She didn't want to admit how terrified she was to actually be face to face with Liv. Bayley knew the shorter girl's reputation, Liv was crazy and Bayley wanted none of it.

Liv nodded towards Bayley's house as if it was obvious. "She's in there." 

"How did she get in, the door was locked." Bayley scrunched her eyebrow. 

The look that Liv gave Bayley, probably would have scared other people. "She wiggled her nose and said open sesame." Liv deadpanned, before rolling her eyes. "Come on, if she bleeds out on your couch, you'll join her," Liv warned, not even caring about her own wounds. 

Bayley grimaced but made her way inside of her house, where she found Ruby bleeding on a leather couch. "I don't have a lot of supplies." She warned Liv. 

Ruby was starting to sweat a little bit and growled at Bayley. "Just fix it doc, I can take it. Stitch us up and I'll be out of your hair." 

"This isn't exactly ethical," Bayley said but moved into her pantry to grab some of her supplies. Part of her was angry that they had shown up on her door, she wasn't stupid, she knew who they were. They were the cause of people showing up in her hospital mutilated and injured. As angry as Bayley was, she didn't want somebody bleeding all over her couch. 

She grabbed some alcohol and as carefully as she could, began to stitch up Ruby's shoulder wound. Bayley was naturally inquisitive and was curious about why Ruby had come to her of all people. 

"There are a lot of doctors in this city, why me? Don't you have some mob doctor on your payroll?" Bayley questioned as she worked. 

Ruby's dark eyes narrowed in on Bayley's face. "Would you believe it if I told you, you're one of the only ones I trust?" 

"I'd think you were flirting with me." Bayley snarked, shaking her head. "Seriously what happened to your shoulder?"

"Think of it as don't ask, don't tell. You're better off not knowing Doc." Liv interrupted, not liking that Bayley was being nosy. 

Bayley paused mid-stitch. "You are forcing me to stitch you both up in my own home. I think I am entitled to a little bit of information." 

Ruby barked out a laugh. "Entitlement is such a funny thing, you want to know what happened? Somebody broke into my own home and stabbed me."

The doctor didn't know how to quite take that information, so she remained quiet and resumed stitching up Ruby. When she was finally done she cleaned Liv's wounds and bandaged them, before moving as far as she could away. 

"Pay the good doctor for her service," Ruby said, struggling to put on her leather jacket. 

Liv reached inside her jacket and Bayley flinched thinking that perhaps Liv was going to shoot her. The mobster chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You're safe, Ruby doesn't like it when I play with people without her permission. Makes her a little touchy and jealous." Liv threw some money at Bayley's feet and then escorted Ruby out of the house where one of their associates was waiting to pick them up. 

As soon as they were gone, Bayley let out a strangled sob. She felt violated by the fact that they had entered her house and forced her to patch them up. There was no doubt in her mind that they could have just as easily killed her. With shaky hands, she took out her phone and called Sasha. 

"Sash, can you come and get me? I don't want to be alone." Bayley pleaded, shaken from the incident. 

\-----

Charlotte Flair had been to Andrade's house many times, usually, it was when Andrade's wife Zelina wasn't around. Andrade never really talked about Zelina much, at least not when Charlotte was in earshot to hear it. However, Charlotte's interest was piqued and there was something that she wanted to know. 

"Does your wife know about us?" Charlotte asked, leaning against the kitchen counter as Andrade cooked for her. 

Andrade looked up and shrugged. "I assume she does, she has her own paramours. Her latest catch is some tattoo artist. She doesn't care, love is fluid I suppose." 

Charlotte nodded slowly, taking a sip of her wine as she processed his words. "Does it bother you that she sees other men?" 

"Why should it, she has her fun and I have mine. Life is too short to be bothered by little things Charlotte." Andrade responded purring her name. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. 

"This town is getting more dangerous, I don't know what's going to happen. I used to be able to keep my finger on the pulse of the city, I could sense the winds changing. I don't know if I can do that anymore." Charlotte wasn't used to being so out of the loop. She was trying to forge a relationship with the Riott Squad, simply so she could stay above the coming tidal wave. 

Andrade frowned and cupped her face with one hand. "You're much too trouble my love. Eat and be happy, nothing can harm us in my castle." He promised, kissing her deeply and trying to help her forget her problems. 

Unbeknownst to them, Drew McIntrye was taking pictures of them through the window. He had been following Charlotte around since she had gone to bail out Ember Moon. Alexa had told Drew to find out what he could, so he was trying to take any incriminating pictures that he could. Alexa wasn't wrong when she had told him that information was power in this town. He snapped a few more intimate pictures of the Mayor and her lover before he moved away from the window. 

Pulling out his phone, he called Alexa. "Hey Lexie, I think I have some photos you're going to want to see." A wicked smile crossed Drew's face once he hung up. He was certain now that he was going to get a promotion.


	5. New friendships and alliances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa Bliss makes an unlikely business alliance and learns something about Charlotte Flair that could change the mayor's career. Becky Lynch wants to drink away her problems but finds herself some new friends in Bayley and Sasha.

Growing up, Alexa had always wanted to be a private investigator. She had always loved detective movies and reading mystery books. Anything that had to do with crime noir, was her cup of tea. So when she had got her PI license and moved to town, she had insisted on finding an office building that would live up to her expectations.

Bliss Investigations headquarters was one of her favorite places in the whole city of Pembroke Pines. The wood flooring was nice and pristine, and Alexa felt like it really gave the aesthetic of an actual PI firm. The only thing Alexa was missing according to Nikki and Drew was a fancy trench coat and hat. 

Alexa was used to different people walking into her business, but when Ruby Riott walked in, Alexa was taken off guard. She didn't know what the mob member wanted, but she already had a sinking feeling she wasn't about to like what Ruby was going to say. 

However as Ruby stepped into the light, Alexa noted that she looked a little beat up. The stitches in Ruby’s shoulder definitely weren’t like her other tattoos. The gangster had her arm in a sling and black eye, but otherwise was standing on her own power. 

“Should I be worried about your friends breaking in and killing me?” Alexa asked, arching a brow. 

Ruby let out a tiny laugh. “Sarah is in the car, Rowe and Liv are outside your door. If I wanted you dead I would have probably brought them in. I am here to request your services.” 

Alexa sat up straighter in her chair. “My services? You are aware of what I do right? I’m not like an assassin.”

Ruby gave a tight-lipped smile. “I’m aware of what you do as a private investigator. Despite my profession, I’m not that dumb. You know things and I would like to know some of the information that you do.” 

“So you want me to tell you something?” Alexa wasn’t sure where the dark-haired girl was going with this. “What do you want to know?”

“I want you to find out who the NXT are doing business with. I have a feeling they might be working with other prominent people in town.” Ruby didn’t trust anybody these days, and she wanted to know who had aligned themselves with her enemies. “Also what dirt do you have on the mayor.”

It was Alexa’s turn to laugh. “I have dirt on everybody in town, but it’s going to be costly.” She warned. 

Ruby studied her and then nodded. “I have a lot of money Bliss. Get me info on the mayor and on NXT and we’ll see about lining your pockets.” 

“I expect hazard pay, I won't risk my life for cheap.” Alexa wasn’t entirely looking forward to snooping around NXT’s business. It sounded like a fast way to catch a bullet, but she had a few contacts she could call upon to help her out. 

“Of course, I’ll send Liv back here later with a retainer of sorts. She’s quite convincing.” Ruby threw over her shoulder, leaving Alexa alone to contemplate what her words actually meant.

\-----

"Candice!" Charlotte Flair let out an irritated sigh as she stood up from her desk. What was the use of having an assistant if they weren't assisting her? She walked out of her office to find Candice texting away furiously at her phone. "Candice, what are you doing? I've been calling you for the last minute."

Candice LeRae's head snapped up from the phone and she gave Charlotte an apologetic smile. "Sorry, my boyfriend is sick I was just checking on him." She explained, though her words trailed off when Charlotte glared at her. 

"You can text him on your breaks or on your personal time." Charlotte reprimanded, giving a dismissive shake of her head. She expected perfection from all the people that worked underneath her, people who slacked off didn't last long in the Mayor's office. "Anyways, I was wondering if by chance anybody called and left a message for me." 

"Let me check." Candice opened flipped through the message book before shaking her head. "No one has called for you Madame Mayor." 

Charlotte looked almost disappointed by that. She had been expecting Andrade to call, but there was always a chance that he was busy with Zelina. Thinking about Andrade's wife only served to cause Charlotte anxiety and make feelings of jealousy rise up inside of her. She scowled and looked away from her assistant, not wanting Candice to see her moment of weakness. 

"Well if anybody calls please let me know Ms. LeRae. I am going to take my lunch now. I'll be back in two hours." Charlotte snapped, before grabbing her purse and phone. The mayor stormed from the office, leaving her assistant behind. 

While she was thankful for the job, Candice had found working for Charlotte to be more taxing then rewarding. The Mayor was arrogant and full of herself, willing to unleash her temper on anybody close to her. More often then not it was Candice on the receiving end of a temper tantrum. 

After waiting a few minutes to make sure Charlotte was good and gone, Candice pulled her phone back out, texting her boyfriend again. Johnny Gargano was one of the few bright spots in her life. She knew Charlotte would never approve of her dating one of the bosses of NXT, but what the Mayor didn't know wouldn't hurt her. 

It gave her an odd sense of satisfaction to know that she had something private that Charlotte couldn't take away from her. Every move that Charlotte made, every secret shady deal, Candice made sure to report to Johnny. Candice had been the one to let her boyfriend and NXT know about Charlotte's deal with the Riott Squad. 

Right now she was playing the long game, staying quiet and passive. It would be Charlotte's own fault if she underestimated Candice, besides one day the Mayor would get what was coming to her. Candice wasn't stupid, she was just allowing the other blonde to fall into her own traps. 

It was Charlotte who wasn't as bright, she hadn't noticed Candice skimming money off the top and funneling it to NXT. Maybe if Charlotte had been perceptive she would have realized that her enemies weren't just political and were located a lot closer to home. 

Now that she was sure Charlotte was gone, Candice got up. She knew she had some time before her boss would be back and she wanted to see Johnny. He was actually feeling under the weather and she wanted to be a good girlfriend and bring him some soup. She did her best to lock up the Mayor's office and then walked out. 

\-----

Being a Private Investigator had taught Alexa a valuable skill or two, such as picking locks. Alexa was actually quite gifted at it. She had waited for Charlotte to leave then soon enough Candice LeRae left as well. A small smirk crossed Alexa’s features, maybe this was going to be easier than she thought. 

She let herself into the office, before sitting down at Candice’s desk first. She installed a computer bug on Candice’s laptop, wanting to be able to see what the girl was up too. Since Candice was the one who scheduled the Mayor’s appointments, it would be vital to see what the girl was up too. She then planted a listening bug on the stapler before making her way into Charlotte’s office. 

Alexa took a moment to look around the office, trying not to roll her eyes at all the awards and certificates on the wall. There was no doubt that Charlotte Flair was a distinguished politician, but it looked almost braggadocious. She sat down in Charlotte’s chair and then did roll her eyes when she realized the chair was so high up Alexa’s feet could no longer touch the ground. 

“Fricken amazon lady,” Alexa grumbled, before installing a listening device in the mayor’s computer. She tensed for a moment when she thought she heard a noise, but relaxed when nobody else came into the office. 

Shooting a quick message to Nikki and Drew, she stood up. She wasn’t sure what info she was going to find on the Mayor, but it was always important to be prepared. Knowledge was considered power in this town and it was better for Alexa if she was the one holding all the cards. 

She was about to leave when she noticed an instant messenger notification pop up. Alexa sat back down, humming softly as she began to pour through the messages. It appeared as if there was more to Charlotte's life than she had been letting on. Some person on messenger kept sending Charlotte pictures of a little boy that looked a lot like a younger Ric Flair. Charlotte had apparently been sending money back to the person if the messages were to be believed. 

"Reid Junior, well that is interesting. Why are you hiding him Madame Mayor?" Alexa questioned out loud. She took screenshots of the messages before emailing them to herself. Apparently, she was going to have a lot more powerful information than she had intended. 

\-----

Becky Lynch felt empty and unsure of what to do with herself. All she had ever wanted to be was a cop and now that she was on suspension she felt like a piece of her was missing. It was humiliating having to turn in her gun and badge. Sure she had disobeyed an order but she hadn’t done it to make things worse. She was trying to figure out what had happened to Alicia Fox. She felt like Foxxy deserved some justice even if somebody else did. 

Finn had left Becky alone, knowing that the younger officer needed some time alone to process all of the complex emotions going through her head. Finn was doing some soul searching of his own, so Becky found herself walking into Undertaker's Bar by herself. 

She went to the bar to order herself some shots, she didn't want to think about how badly she had messed up. The tattooed bartender did not seem pleased to see her and greeted her with a scowl. 

"You got some nerve showing up here after what you pulled." Taker rumbled, his eyes narrowing in on her. 

"I am sorry for what I did, I shouldn't have brought my drama into your bar," Becky admitted ducking her head lowly. 

Taker grunted before pouring her a round of shots. "This place is neutral ground, don't do it again." He warned, before leaving Becky to go serve another patron. 

"You'll have to excuse him, he gets kind of grouchy." 

Becky turned her head to see a girl with purple-blue hair talking to her. She had seen the girl around at a couple of different calls. "You're Banks right, part of the fire department."

Sasha nodded slowly. "You can call me Sasha, you want to join me and my friend for a drink? It's better than being alone." Sasha offered. 

Sasha had come to rescue Bayley when she heard the girl was in trouble. Despite being extremely exhausted, Sasha hadn't left her best friend's side. Bayley was a bit frazzled after having to play mob doctor and Sasha didn't want to risk Bayley being dragged into more gangland drama. 

Becky considered the offer and then nodded. "Sure, I could use some company. I got benched for the stunt I pulled earlier." 

A laugh escaped the firefighter and she shrugged. "We saw that, figured you must have balls of steel to pull that move in Taker's bar."

"I don't think he likes me very much right now," Becky admitted, before smiling at Bayley. "Hi, I'm Becky."

"Taker only loves a few people, don't take it personally," Bayley said, before leaning over to hug Becky. "I'm a hugger, but you can call me Bayley." 

Sasha watched the two before smiling. "Mark is soft on me." 

"Only because you worked for him and were the best bartender ever," Bayley grumbled good-naturedly. She nudged Sasha under the table giving her a warm look. 

Becky smiled and glanced down at the table, feeling like she was intruding on a personal moment. "So I know Sasha is a firefighter, what do you do Bayley?" 

Bayley gave a small grin, rather proud of the work that she did. “I’m a doctor.” 

“She’s also very modest. Bayley is one of the best trauma doctors in the country.” Sasha explained, not at all afraid to brag on her best friend. She was proud of the work that Bayley did. 

Becky whistled nodded her approval. “Well, it’s nice to meet your acquaintance. So how did you two become friends?”

“Sasha came in after getting burned a time or two. I told her she didn’t have to get hurt so she could see me, that I was fine being friends outside of the hospital walls.” Bayley teased, unable to help but joke with Sasha about it.

Sasha blushed and shrugged her shoulders. “I couldn’t help but want to hang out with you. You’ll find that Bayley is a rare breed in this town.” 

“Not corrupt?” Becky asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. As an officer, she had witnessed a lot of corruption in the town, but everybody else seemed to be looking the opposite way. 

Bayley’s smile faltered on her face. “The town isn’t that bad, but then again the crime rate is getting worse and I was forced to play mob doctor today.” She mumbled. 

Becky’s head snapped back up at Bayley’s words. “Somebody forced you to stitch them up? See that’s the problem with this town. The gangs run the show and have the mayor in their pocket. It’s like nobody cares.” Becky grumbled. 

It irritated her that the good people in the city were being taken advantage of. Becky tried to push it down, not wanting her sour mood to affect the other two ladies. It wasn’t their fault that Becky had been sidelined. 

“You know, it gets better. I know that sounds cliche and overrated but it is true,” Sasha said with a shrug. She had seen the town go through a lot of ups and downs, the people of Pembroke Pines were unusually resilient. If asked, Sasha would, of course, blame her optimism on her friendship with Bayley. The doctor had a unique way of always seeing the brighter side. 

Bayley smiled and nodded to Sasha. "Sasha is right, there are good and bad sides to every town. Stick with us and we can show you some of the good things the town has to offer."

Becky hesitated before relenting and giving it. It wasn't like she had any other offers on the table. "Alright, I suppose seeing some of the good things the city has to offer wouldn't be so bad. What is there to do in this town that isn't criminal or scandalous?"

"Well, we can do Bayley's favorite thing which is going to the animal shelter. She likes to go pet and play with the animals." Sasha had learned that fact about Bayley rather quickly into their friendship. 

"Who can say no to the puppy eyes. Plus they are always so excited to see me." Bayley wiggled her eyebrows at Becky. "Come on, what could be better than puppy breath and cuddling with cute dogs?"

Becky sighed, chuckling quietly under her breath. "Animals? Alright, let's do it." Becky said, glad to finally be making some friends in the town that were not on the police force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everybody is enjoying the story. What do you think of Charlotte having a kid she's hiding away. Do you think it's her kid or somebody else's? What will Alexa use that information for? 
> 
> Who's your favorite character so far or favorite line?


	6. A dangerous game of sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NXT looks to gather information so they can make a move against the Riott Squad. Ruby Riott and Alexa Bliss seem to be making some moves of their own, but they are playing a dangerous game. Sasha deals with another fire and grows more frustrated, while Becky Lynch has a suspicious run-in with some Aussies.

"Are you sure your girlfriend is reliable, Gargano. She's running late and you know I don't like to be kept waiting.?" 

Johnny Gargano rolled his eyes for what felt like the twentieth time that day. He was thankful that in the dim light of the warehouse he was in that his boss couldn't seem him all that well. As much as working with Adam Cole and his group was lucrative, it was also annoying. "My girlfriend has been a lot more reliable than some of the thugs you hired. She'll be here." Johnny snapped.

He checked his watch and sighed, trying to not admit that he was starting to get a little worried too. He loved Candice, she was important to him. It also helped that she was the Mayor's assistant and privy to a lot of information that was crucial to his gang staying out of the Police crosshairs. 

Adam Cole grunted and checked his own watch. "Word on the street is that Flair is making moves to align herself with the Riott Squad. That doesn't bode well for us, despite our new partnership with the Aussies." 

Gargano flinched at the mention of the Aussies. He had heard horror stories of some of their exploits, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around if something went down. "I've heard the big one Ripley has a love for torture."

Adam shrugged, not at all squeamish about it. "We need a crazy one on our side since Riott has Liv Morgan. We match them psycho for psycho." 

Before Johnny could respond, the door to the warehouse opened. His girlfriend Candice Lerae walked in, looking a bit ruffled. Johnny's eyes darkened in concern and he immediately went to her side. 

"Are you okay?"

"I was so careful, I think Charlotte is onto me. She says I accessed her computer, but I didn't. Or well I didn't do it when she said that I did, I was with you at the time, but I can't tell her that." Candice shook her head, trying to think back to where she might have gone wrong. 

She had come back to work earlier in the day, to find Charlotte waiting for her with a furious look in her eyes. Charlotte had laid into her about snooping, and while Candice had done so in the past, some of the stuff Charlotte was accusing her of, she had no idea. 

Johhny frowned and gently rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay." 

"As touching as this little display is, do you have what we asked for?" Adam Cole interjected, not wanting to have to sit through them making out. 

Candice scowled and dug into her purse, withdrawing a flash drive and putting it into the mafia boss' hands. "It has her schedule for the next month. This is the last drop I can do, she fired me." 

Adam pocketed the flash drive and shrugged. "Sorry you for fired, maybe you can go beg for your job back." 

The blonde looked like she wanted to deck him in the face but Johnny intervened. Johnny placed an arm around Candice and guided her out of the warehouse. 

"I really hate that guy." She muttered. 

Johnny kissed her temple. "He's a lot to handle that's for sure, but he is smart." 

"You should be the boss of NXT," Candice whined, tugging on the lapels of Johnny's jacket. 

"Come on, don't talk like that, I'm already his underboss. Let's just focus on surviving the upcoming gang war. Maybe I can fly you out of here, I don't want you here when everything goes down." Johnny didn't care about much, but he truly cared about Candice. "We'll find you a nice job where you can be taken care of." 

Candice relaxed into his embrace and nodded. "That sounds nice."

"I have to go back in with Adam, go ahead and go home. I'll meet you back at my apartment." Johnny knew that Adam would want to call a meeting and process through all the info. It was important for him to stick around and make sure his boss didn't act too impulsively, good plans took time after all. He watched Candice, making sure she made it to her care before he turned away. 

What Johnny failed to notice was that somebody was waiting in the back of Candice's car, and the second he was out of sight, the person put a knife to Candice's throat and demanded that she start driving. 

\----

Alexa Bliss carefully flipped through the file in front of her, making sure all the information was correct. She had an almost guilty feeling gnawing at her stomach but she tried to ignore it. She had never been afraid to get her hands dirty before, but maybe there was a reason for some of the Mayor's secrets. Charlotte had hidden away her nephew for a reason and here Alexa was about to uproot the boy's life by attempting to bring him to town 

"Alexa... are you sure we should be doing this?" Nikki Cross had tried to keep quiet, she didn't question her boss often, but even she felt bothered by what Alexa was asking her to do. 

"Money is being funneled away from the mayor's office, I think she is using it to hide the child. The people of Pembroke Pines deserve to know." Alexa argued, trying to stay firm even though she had some doubts of her own. 

Nikki squirmed a little bit but then relented and took the file from Alexa. "What we're doing isn't going to make you and me many friends." 

"Since when have I been in the business to make friends?" Alexa quipped back, before staring down at her desk. Alexa was good at knowing things, but being a good human being was something she struggled with. "Make sure the kid makes it back here safe, we don't want anything happening to him." 

Nikki stood up and put the folder under her arm. "I won't let you down." 

Alexa watched her go and then sagged back into her chair. It was hard to keep the juggling act going, but it was important to not get emotionally invested in cases. Ruby Riott was paying a lot of money for information on the Mayor and NXT. She had gotten dirt on Charlotte, now came the more tricky part of trying to find out information about NXT. She had sent Drew to handle that, he cut a more imposing figure than she did. 

She checked her phone, letting out a groan when it didn't have any notifications of a message. She was starting to get a little worried that Drew hadn't checked in yet. When her phone did ring, she frowned when she saw it was a private number. 

"Hello?"

"Ah, Ms. Bliss, nice to know the number I have for you still works." Ruby Riott sounded almost chipper to hear from her. 

"What do you want Riott?" Alexa snapped, squirming despite the fact that Ruby wouldn't be able to see her. 

Ruby let out a little scoff. "Is that any way to talk to a client who is paying you good money?" 

Alexa's eyes narrowed, the blonde clenching her jaw so tightly it hurt. "Again, I ask, what do you want?"

"I want to know how it is going. Did you find any useful information?" Ruby was a little irritated that Alexa was cutting right to the chase and not letting her have fun. 

Alexa hesitated, unsure if she should tell Ruby about Charlotte's nephew. That was a big piece of information, but also she didn't totally feel right bringing a child into a potential mob war. "I'm still looking." 

Ruby sounded irritated now. "I thought you were good at your job."

"I am, don't worry. I just need more time to find the right information. I don't want to be handing over incorrect information." Alexa pointed out, attempting to appeal to the mobster's sensible side if she even had one. 

Ruby muttered some choice words, before hanging up. Alexa took a deep breath, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart. Perhaps there were some secrets that needed to stay hidden for the greater good. She had half a mind to call Nikki back and tell her to forget the mission, there were other things she could dig up on Charlotte. Maybe it was better to leave the kid out of it.

\-----

Ever since the Riott Squad had broken into her house, Bayley had tried avoiding going back to her house. She didn't feel safe there, but it was time to go back. She was running out of clean clothes and Trish at the hospital had demanded that Bayley get a proper night sleep. There were only so many nights she could crash at Sasha's. That was the other thing as much as she loved staying with her best friend, the firefighter kept just as crazy of a schedule as she did. Sasha was at work and Bayley had made the decision to try and go home. 

Still, she had an uneasy feeling as she made her way home. It was eerily quiet and she didn't know what to make of it. She was tempted to call her new friend Becky, the officer had been very insightful. Bayley couldn't find the nerve to bother the new girl, Becky had a lot on her plate with her suspension. 

Bayley walked into her kitchen, groaning when she saw the pile of dishes. She set to work when the light in her living room flicked on. Ruby Riott sat in the corner of the room, her eyes trained on Bayley who looked startled. 

"What are you doing here?" Bayley asked, feeling the panic starting to rise up. She felt around in the sink, grabbing the hilt of a dirty steak knife. 

Ruby slowly raised a brow. "You won't be needing that, besides I wouldn't try that if I were you. I'm here for you to take out my stitches." 

Bayley's hand was shaking but she slowly released the knife. It wouldn't do much good against the gun Ruby had holstered at her hip. "I didn't agree to take out the stitches, I didn't even agree to stitch you up the first time." 

The mobster stood to her feet, which would have been more impressive if she didn't stumble and almost fall. Bayley rolled her eye skyward, wondering which diety was challenging her today. She moved to Ruby's side, the girl was visibly sweating. 

"Ha-hands off Doc," Ruby muttered, wince when Bayley felt her feverish skin. 

"Your wound is infected. What did you do, go swimming through trash?" Bayley chided, she looked at Ruby's wound and almost wanted to gag. "It didn't heal right, I'm going to have to cut you back open and clear out the infection."

Ruby looked hesitant. "I thought you didn't want to help me."

"Don't get it twisted Riott, I don't want to help you. I also don't want your attack dogs coming after me for letting you die." Bayley guided the mobster to a chair and shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was doing this, helping a criminal once again. She found a knife from her drawer and using some of her supplies sterilized it. 

"You might want to bite down on something," Bayley warned, before cutting into Ruby's shoulder. It took her some time, but she cleaned the infection and puss out. Then she stitched the mobster back up and covered the wound with some bandages. "So where is your crew, you don't normally travel by yourself."

Ruby had paled considerably and was in visible pain. "T-Thanks doc, I guess I'll see you when it's time for the stitches to come out. As for Liv and the others, they're busy right now, I didn't think you'd want more people in your house than just me."

"Thanks for that I guess. How about next time you just call. No more breaking into my house." Bayley was tired of her house being broken into. It bothered her a lot that her sense of safety kept being violated. 

There was a moment of silent consideration before Ruby nodded. She dug what was clearly a burner phone out of her pocket. "I'll text this phone when it is time for the stitches to come out. It has one number saved on it, that's my number. Don't give it to anybody else."

Bayley wasn't sure how she felt about being an official mob doctor, the more time she spent with Riott, the more she felt everything was unethical. "This is the last time I'll help you." 

Ruby laughed and gingerly shrugged on her jacket. "Keep telling yourself that Doc." She called over her shoulder before she left. 

Bayley stared at the phone Ruby had left and then sighed quietly. She wanted to call Sasha but she knew the girl was in the middle of her shift. She settled for texting Becky, but she left out the details of what had gone down. Bayley didn't want to end up on a mobster's hit list. 

\-----

Sasha Banks tried to wave away the smoke as it billowed from the entrance to one of the stores on the outskirts of town. It belonged to an old friend and Sasha was doing her best to save her friend's shop. Tamina had been there for Sasha through some of the hardest times of her life. 

Shayna was right next to Sasha, holding another hose as she attacked the fire from a different angle. "I really hope we manage to save this place, Tamina's bakery is the one place in town that serves good dole whip." 

"Well I'd rather save the bakery because Tamina's my friend and she poured most of her life savings into this place," Sasha grunted, aiming her hose at one of the hot spots. 

This had been the third business fire that week. Sasha knew that the serial arsonist was probably behind it, and she was getting irritated that they kept getting away. She could hear the sound of more of her fellow firefighters arriving on the scene. Tamina's bakery wasn't that far away from one of the city's historical landmarks. 

Bayley had, of course, dragged Sasha to all of the landmarks in town during the course of their friendship. Bayley apparently though that Sasha could use some educating about the city she was protecting. 

There weren't many people Sasha counted on as friends, but Bayley had wormed her way into Sasha's inner circle. The doctor was one of the few people that Sasha genuinely trusted. In fact, Sasha had trusted her enough to talk to Bayley about the serial arsonist case. 

Bayley had been somewhat helpful, suggesting that Sasha look at previously convicted arsonist. It was a good idea, plus with her new friendship with Becky blossoming, she thought she might ask the cop to help her track down the lead. 

Once they finally put the fire out, Sasha sat down on the sidewalk, wiping the sweat from her brow. Shayna plopped down next to her and began to munch on an apple. 

"Some days this job takes a lot out of us doesn't it?" Shayna questioned, sound completely exhausted.

Sasha nodded as she swiped the apple from her friend and took a bite. "But it's worth it when we get to help the people we care about."

“I guess so,” Shayna grunted as she stole her apple back. She gave Sasha a disgusted look and attempted to wipe her germs off, before going back to eating the apple. 

“Didn’t know you were that much of a germaphobe,” Sasha muttered, but couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. Sometimes messing with Shayna and her other friends was the best part of the job. They were like family to Sasha and she appreciated them. “I am going to go check on Tamina and make sure she’s okay. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.” Shayna yelled after Sasha, clearly still miffed about the other woman trying to steal her apple.

Sasha ignored her and made her way over to Tamina who was sorting through what remained of her bakery. The pastry chef looked more than a little upset. 

"I'll help you rebuild it, a fresh coat of paint and some new tables, it'll be good as new," Sasha said, trying to make her feel better. 

Tamina did not seem to share her enthusiasm. "I spent a lot of money on this place, maybe it's time to just give up." 

"Oh come on now. You don't mean that 'Mina. You love this place and this city." Sasha argued, not wanting Tamina to go. "You have insurance, once you get the money I am sure we'll be able to make it better than ever." 

"Sasha this town... it's going downhill. There have been more fires, an uptick in violence. I got kids, I don't want my daughters growing up surrounded by all of this." Tamina gestured to the burnt walls of her bakery. 

Sasha wanted to keep fighting, but she could see her friend's point. There had been more violence in the streets and Tamina did have her daughters to worry about. Sasha had never been too sure if she wanted kids of her own, but if she ever did, she wasn't sure she wanted them to grow up in the city. Pembroke Pines was certainly not what it had been when she had first arrived for college. 

"We'll figure it out," Sasha said, squeezing her friend's hand, trying to reassure her. 

\-----

Drew McIntrye was quite the imposing figure, more so when he was forcing Candice Lerae at knifepoint into Alexa's office. A sack was placed over the blindfolded Candice, which honestly Drew thought was overkill. He knew better than to be sloppy with this sort of thing. Alexa would have his hide and fire him if he made any big mistakes. 

In fact, as he forced Candice into one of the spare offices and ties her to the chair, Alexa was watching him with an unamused expression. His boss didn't utter a single word or make a noise until he had shut the door behind him. It was only when they were finally alone that Alexa snapped at him. 

"What the heck are you doing?" Alexa was horrified by the fact that her associate had kidnapped Candice LeRae. 

"You told me to get info on Candice LeRae and NXT. I figured you would question her." Drew said, giving a light-hearted shrug. He didn't seem to understand what the problem was, he had done what his boss had asked. 

Alexa's face flushed red with anger. "You idiot! I meant tail her, follow her from a safe distance. You kidnapped her!"

Drew scowled and folded his big arms across his chest, looking like an overgrown petulant child. "Well do you want me to let her go?" 

Alexa stomped her foot on the ground and poked his chest hard with a finger. "No, you can't just let her go. She'll go running to her boyfriend or worse the mayor." Alexa sighed in irritation and began to pace. She was wishing that she would have sent Nikki on the mission instead of Drew. Nikki at the very least could be discreet. "We can blame it on the Riott Squad, it is their fault we're having to investigate the NXT at all." 

"Won't that bring more trouble to our doorstep. I'm more afraid of Liv Morgan than I am of NXT." Drew wasn't a man who frightened easily, but even he was unnerved by the Riott Squad. He had witnessed first hand the destruction they could cause and he had grown up in Scotland. 

"That's a valid point." Alexa was starting to really regret agreeing to work with the Riott Squad. "Take Ms. LeRae and dump her back on her side of the tracks. Try to refrain from speaking and maybe wear a mask. She didn't see your face did she?" 

Drew ducked his head sheepishly. "She might have seen my face. I'm not really sure..." He admitted, trailing off. 

"Ugh, you are literally the worst at being a private investigator, you're supposed to be incognito you baboon," Alexa grumbled punching him in the arm. "Get her out of my office and next time use your brain if you have one." Alexa wanted to grab the tall Scottish man and shake him until his brain rattled, but she didn't think she had the reach or strength. She was going to have to start being better about picking her help. 

Drew grumbled under his breath about not being truly appreciated but did as he was instructed. He carefully grabbed Candice dragging her out of the room, sans knife because Alexa was glaring at him. Honestly, he didn't know why he put up with his boss sometimes, but she did pay well when she wasn't being a pain in his backside. 

\-----

One of Becky Lynch's fatal flaws was her inability to let sleeping dogs lie. She just couldn't let something go when it caught her attention, which was why she found herself standing outside of the Australian Outback. The hotel that doubled as a casino was massive and like most things in this town likely served as a front for some shady gang. Becky wasn't stupid, she knew that sniffing around would get her in trouble, but she was already suspended from work, so she didn't have much to lose. 

She wanted to know why Alicia had been thrown from the building, what has the woman done to deserve to be murdered. Becky was scoping out the crime scene, she could still see the bloodstains on the sidewalk from the impact. A deep frown etched itself on her features as she glanced up to the nearby fire escape. 

Maybe Alicia had gotten drunk and fallen from the fire escape. It wasn't like her rap sheet was clear of drunk and disorderly, in fact, Alicia had been arrested seven times in the past two years for public intoxication. Still, it didn't make sense as to why Alicia would be at the hotel. 

Becky wasn't sure if Alicia had still been selling herself for sex, but if she had been then it was likely one of the Johns had thrown her out of the hotel. That train of thought gave Becky an idea, just because she was suspended, didn't mean she couldn't try and work the case on the down-low.

The ginger-haired cop made her way inside of the hotel, only to find the front desk manned by two women. They were far to well dressed to have actually been employees, but Becky chose not to comment and instead extended a smile. 

"Hello, I was wondering if I could ask you two some questions. My name is Officer Becky Lynch, I work for the Pembroke Pines Police Department." Becky said extending a hand towards them. 

The two women exchanged looks before the taller one spoke. "Nice to meet you, officer, I'm Billie and this is my business partner Peyton. We're co-owners of the hotel." Billie explained. 

"Depending on the questions, it might be better if you ask our lawyer," Peyton added, shaking her head. "We don't really know anything about that poor lady who fell from our hotel." 

Becky's eyes narrowed slightly and she lowered her hand at the immediate shut-down. She was surprised that they would bring up Alicia, but she decided to go with the flow. "Well, I promise you my questions aren't all that difficult. I was wondering if I might search the floor she fell from, the room if that's alright?"

Again the two women looked at each other before answering her. "You said you're an officer, where's your badge?" Billie asked, wanting to verify that Becky was who she said she was. 

"Besides we're going to need to see a warrant if you want to search our hotel. Our guests prefer their privacy and we don't want to violate that." Peyton explained slowly as if Becky was a child who wouldn't understand. 

Something about the duo rubbed Becky the wrong way, but she tried not to dwell on it. "I'll come back with a warrant and my badge. But that woman who fell out of your hotel was a friend of mine. I won't stop until I find out the truth of what happened to her." 

Billie stepped from around the front desk, locking eyes with Becky. She gestured to the door and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Well, when you have that warrant I'm sure we'll be able to help you. Her death really was untimely, I'd hate to think that one of our guests could be responsible." 

Becky did not believe the words coming out of the Australian girl's mouth. Their general sketchiness made Becky think that perhaps they were hiding something. She walked out of the hotel, still feeling Peyton and Billie's eyes on her back, long after she had exited the hotel. Pulling out her phone, she shot a text to Finn, asking him to meet for coffee. She wanted to tell him about her theory, it wasn't like she could tell anybody else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who missed this story? I know I missed writing it, life has gotten pretty crazy lately but I update my stories when I can/when I find time. So what's your favorite character in the story, what interactions do you like and what would you like to see more of? 
> 
> Kudos, comments, subscriptions and all that jazz make me super happy. So leave me some love. I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween.


	7. A weird game of hot potato.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa makes a stupid decision that ends up with consequences for different people in Pembroke Pines. The serial arsonist claims another victim.

"You going to drink that beer Lass?"

Becky's head shot up, her attention settling on Finn who saw across from her. "What?"

"I said, are you going to drink that beer? It's getting warm." Finn tilted his head to the side as he watched Becky. When she had invited him out for drinks, he thought that they would actually be drinking, not just sitting there. 

"Oh, yeah sorry." Becky lifted her beer to her lips before taking a drink. 

Finn frowned and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, are you going to tell me what's bothering you? Because clearly your mind is a million miles away." 

Becky's own face seemed to melt into a frown as well. "I can't stop thinking about Alicia. She didn't deserve to die that way, when I went back to the hotel, the receptionists was being sketchy."

"You went to the hotel? You do realize you're suspended right or are you just looking to get into more trouble. Geez Bex, if you want to get out of the hole you need to put down the shovel and stop digging." Finn grumbled, cursing the fact that his partner just couldn't let things go. When Becky felt like something was off in a case, she wouldn't let it go. "You're like a stubborn old dog with a bone." 

Becky lowered her gaze, he wasn't wrong about his perception of her. "I just can't sleep at night knowing her murderer is still out there. There is something fishy going on in that hotel Finn, I can feel it in my bones." 

"Then you wait until you're reinstated. Going and trying to find evidence now won't help her, it'll only end up with the case dismissed. You're going to get yourself fired or thrown into jail for contempt. If you really want to help Foxy, then you wait and you do things by the book." Finn didn't want to see Becky fail, but sometimes her reckless and impatient nature got her in trouble. 

"Fine, I'll wait. Just know that every second we waste, the more chance the owners of the hotel will destroy the evidence." Becky pointed out.

Finn just groaned and took a long drink of his beer. Sometimes arguing a point with Becky was like arguing with a brick wall, there was no progress to be had, and the whole situation was just frustrating for everybody. "You're impossible Lynch."

"My gut is what makes me a good cop Finn, I have a feeling I am right about this one," Becky replied, a familiar look of determination entering her eyes. 

"Why do you think they're sketchy?" Finn finally questioned, knowing that it was better for him to hear the story now. "Did they do something, in particular, that was out of character or odd?"

Becky slowly nodded her head. "I asked to look around and they told me no. They asked if I had a warrant."

"It's a hotel Becky, they're going to want to protect their customers. That is just good business practice." Finn said, trying to figure out why she thought things were sketchy. 

"The pair of women brought up Alicia before I did like they were guilty somehow. They seem to have the answer prepared too like they were ready to pass me off to their lawyer before I even questioned them." 

Finn rolled his eyes. "I am sure they've been getting a lot of questions about the girl who fell from their hotel. Maybe they were just trying to beat you to the chase." 

"I don't know, but it's weird. I have an odd feeling about them, we need to look into them." Becky pleaded, trying to sway Finn to her side. 

"We'll check them out when we're reinstated Becky, but not a moment before. We need to stay under the radar and play by the rules." Finn reminded her, not really wanting to bring up what had gone down with Ember. "We need to make friends not enemies." 

Becky scowled before nodding. "You're right, we do need allies. We're going to need them if we want to make a difference in this corrupt town." 

Something out of the corner of her eye caught Becky’s attention. “Hey, Sasha!” She called out, as she spotted her friend. 

Sasha ignored her and went to sit at a corner table. Becky wasn’t sure what was going on but got up to go say hello to the firefighter. 

“I had a really good time hanging out with you and Bayley last week...hey did you do something new to your hair?” Becky asked noting that the girl’s hair seemed more blue than purple. “I like it.”

Sasha finally glanced up at her then, but only to give Becky an uninterested look. “Look I’ve had a long day at work and I’d really like to be left alone.” She snapped icily.

Becky stepped back and raised her hands. “Alright then, well I guess I’ll see you around then.” She walked back towards Finn, wondering who had crapped in Sasha’s drink to make her act like that. The girl had been friendly enough before, but maybe Sasha only felt comfortable around Bayley. 

\----

Nikki Cross was more than slightly concerned. She had expected her mission to be difficult. Getting Reid Flair's son, that Charlotte had intentionally hidden away, should have been a lot harder than it had been. All it had taken for Nikki to get him was to hand over a fake official-looking document saying that Charlotte had sent Nikki to fetch him. 

The next thing that Nikki really knew she was coming back to Pembroke Pines with a child buckled in the back of her seat. Nikki had always wanted to be a mom but she wasn't sure how to take care of him. She estimated that Reid Jr. was about four or five, seemingly kind of shy, and like most kids content to spend his time watching youtube. 

Nikki kept offering him fruit snacks and Capri suns but the blonde-headed kid didn't seem interested at all. If anything he seemed scared of her, and Nikki didn't totally blame him. She still wasn't completely sold on the idea of bringing him to Pembroke Pines, but Nikki didn't dare question, Alexa. 

Bliss could be scary when she was upset and Nikki didn't want to risk making her aggravated. She pulled up outside Alexa's officer and climbed out. Alexa and Drew were waiting for her by the door. 

"Is that him in your back seat? Where did you get the car seat?"

"The caretaker had it," Nikki explained before folding her arms across her chest. "We should really just take him back, this feels like kidnapping. I'm not okay with this Lexi." She couldn't hold back her worries anymore.

"I agree this feels wrong." Drew didn't want any part of child abductions. "We need to give him back, I don't care if you can use him as leverage." Drew was down for getting his hands dirty but even this was too far for him.

Alexa sighed, she knew they were right. “Alright get him out.” She figured she would just take him to Charlotte and admit that she had messed up. Reid Jr. would be safer with his aunt anyways. 

Drew nodded and opened the door. He carefully unbuckled the kid and set him down on the sidewalk. Reid Jr. took one look at Drew and immediately started freaking out. 

“Hey calm down, calm down,” Nikki said getting down to his level. “We’re going to take you to your auntie.” 

The little boy abruptly poked Nikki in the eye and took off running down the street. It was evident that he was terrified. 

“Crap!” Alexa ran after him, trying to catch up. 

“That little dickhead just poked me in the eye,” Nikki growled, one hand covering her eye as she ran after the kid. 

Drew whose legs were longer easily outpaced them and almost snatched Reid’s little jacket. Reid flailed slipping out of it running away again. 

Drew cursed under his breath. “Little bugger is slippery.” He again took after the small child, only to see him turn the corner. When Drew made it to the corner, the child was nowhere in sight, lost in a crowd of people and different buildings.

“Where is he?” Alexa asked panting as she finally caught up. “Where did he go?”

“I have no idea, but if we don’t find him we’re going to jail,” Drew replied, shaking his head. “You two go that way, Lexi could probably pass as his older sister or mom.”

“Charlotte is going to murder us. Come on we have to find him.” Lexi said, not at all looking forward to the conversation she was going to have with the mayor.

\----

Charlotte was furious.

No furious wasn't a strong enough word for the rage that Charlotte felt seeping into her bones. Her blood was boiling, but there was also a feeling of fear and dread curling up inside of her. 

"What do you mean you lost my nephew?" Charlotte asked crossing the room in two strides, her hand curling around Alexa Bliss' throat. 

Alexa's eyes widened in fear, but neither Drew nor Nikki stepped to help her. They were both wary of Charlotte's wrath and didn't want to be on the receiving end. 

"We've been looking for over two hours. We have no idea where he is." Alexa gasped, trying to speak around the hand gripping her throat. 

Charlotte inhaled a deep breath through her nose, doing her best to control her temple. "Why did you take him in the first place. You're a frickin private eye, you find him now!" Charlotte roared, slamming Alexa hard against the wall, before marching over to her phone. 

"What are you going to do?" Nikki asked as she helped Alexa back to her feet.

"I am calling the police. We need to find him, he could be hurt! There are a lot of sick people in this town, I can't believe that your trio of idiots brought him here. How did you find out about him?"

Alexa rubbed the back of her head. "We kind of hacked your computer."

Charlotte's eyes flashed with red-hot molten anger. "If anything happens to him, I am going to kill you. I might kill you anyway." She spat, before calling the cops. The idea that the three idiots had taken her innocent nephew made her sick. She was glad that they had confessed to her, but she was worried about him being on the streets of Pembroke Pines by himself. 

"We'll go look for him," Drew said, tugging at Alexa's elbow. The sooner that they got out of there the better. "Come on guys."

Charlotte waited until they were gone before she sank down in her seat. She buried her face in her hands, listening as the phone rang for the cops. She was incredibly worried about her nephew, the idea that he was out there alone, made her feel sick. "I am going to find you, little buddy." She had promised Reid before he died that she would look out for his son, and now it felt like that promise had been for nothing. 

She was hoping that the cops would be there soon. Charlotte was well aware that a lot of people in the town didn’t like her, but she could only hope Reid Jr. wouldn’t be forced to pay for her crimes. He was truly innocent in everything and she didn’t want Pembroke Pines ruining him. 

\-----

Liv Morgan thrived in chaos, it was as comfortable to her as the clothes that she wore. She knew how to handle and manipulate chaos, but occasionally life would throw her a curveball so chaotic that she didn't know how to handle it. Which apparently life had decided to do that to her that very day as she walked towards the docks. She had just gotten done collecting some protection money from the stores nearest to the waterfront when she spotted a peculiar sight. 

There was a little kid perilously close to the street and no other adult in the surrounding area. Now normally Liv was the type to believe in survival of the fittest, but she had a weak spot for strays. Ruby had dealt with Liv bringing various stray animals back to their safe houses. Liv walked towards the young boy and tilted her head, wondering if she could convince Ruby to let her keep a stray kid.

"Where's your mom kid?" Liv asked as she studied him. 

The blonde child looked up at her with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. "Dunno. I'm looking for Charlie."

"Is Charlie your brother?" Liv glanced around seeing if she might see another kid nearby. 

"No silly, Charlie's a girl duh."

Liv had to fight her smile at the little child's sass. "Alright, what's your name? I'm Liv, and I'll help you find Charlie."

"Reid but Charlie calls me Jr. or Reidy-bear" Reid Jr let out a sad little sigh and crinkling his nose. "I'm hungry."

Liv's eyes widened when she realized just who was in front of her. Charlie must have been Charlotte, and Jr. must have been Charlotte's nephew. A cunning smirk tugged at the corner of Liv's lips. "Tell you what kiddo, my friend Rue has some snacks. She'll help us find Charlie." Liv said offering her hand to him. She dug in her pocket with the other hand and held out a blue jolly rancher. 

"Candy? Okay." Reid took the candy from her and grabbed her hand, following her as Liv walked him towards the Riott Squad safe house. 

As Liv made her way to the front entrance, Ruby was standing outside the building with her arms crossed. Ruby glanced from Reid to Liv and arched a brow. 

"Where did you get the kid Liv?" 

"Found him," Liv said in a sing-song voice. 

Ruby frowned, her eyes widening. "What did you do Liv?"

Liv scowled at Ruby's tone. "I told you, I found him. I was walking back and he was alone near the street. I didn't want him to get hit." 

"You took him?" Ruby sounded almost panicked now. "Are you crazy? Go put him back, right this second Olivia!"

"No!" Liv said stamping her foot on the ground. "He was alone, and I am keeping him!" 

"You can not keep a child, he doesn't belong to you. I can't believe we are even having this conversation!" Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to take a deep breath and remain calm. 

Liv glanced at Reid. "Why don't you sit down little buddy, Rue and I are going to get you a snack," Liv said, before grabbing Ruby by the arm and dragging her inside. 

"You can't keep him." Ruby hissed at her, trying to keep her voice low. "You can barely keep a plant alive. Besides he belongs to somebody."

"He mentioned a girl Charlie," Liv said as she scoured the kitchen for some food. Which to Liv meant giving the kid as much candy as she could find.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "He can't just eat candy Liv This is my point, we can't exactly take him to the police without arousing suspicion. I'll take him to Bayley, she works at a hospital. She will know what to do." 

It was then at that moment that Sarah walked in, holding Reid up by the back of his shirt. "Why is there a rugrat outside our safe house? Liv what did you do, you have something to do with this, don't you? This scrawny kid won't survive the winter with you feeding him that crap, he needs meat." Sarah grumbled seeing Liv with a plate of candy.

"We aren't keeping him!" Ruby roared, finally putting her foot down. She marched over to Sarah and glared at her enforcer. "Put the boy down." She snatched him away from Sarah shaking her head. 

"Where are we going?" Reid asked sounding frightened. 

Ruby's face softened just slightly. "I am taking you to somebody who's going to help you find Charlie okay. I'll get you some real food, do you like McDonald's?"

The little boy lit up. "Yeah, can I have apple slices?"

Ruby gave an amused half-smile. "Yeah kid, we'll get you apple slices." She took his hand and started walking in the direction of the hospital. She was just hoping that Bayley would be on duty or else things would get complicated. 

\----

Bayley was indeed at work and was definitely not happy when she saw Ruby Riott showing up at her work, walking hand in hand with a little boy. 

"Please tell me that's your nephew or that you have an unknown son," Bayley said slowly. She wasn't thrilled that Ruby had shown up at her place of work. Bayley had lots of patients to see, she didn't have time for the mobster's drama. "Where did you get the kid Riott?"

Ruby glanced around, noting that most of Bayley's coworkers were staring at her. "Do you mind if we perhaps have this conversation somewhere private?"

Bayley scowled and checked her watch. "I have a lunch break coming up. Take the kid down to the cafeteria and I'll meet you there." 

"Alright, that's fair." Ruby escort the blonde little boy downstairs. 

Glaring at the mobster's back Bayley just shook her head. She was not at all happy or thrilled with what was going on. Bayley had learned quickly over the last few weeks that whenever Ruby Riott came around, it meant chaos for her. 

Fifteen minutes later Bayley made her way to the cafeteria, surprised to see Ruby shooting a straw wrapper at the little boy. Judging by the different snacks in front of the kid, Ruby was trying to take care of him. 

"You going to tell me who the kid is?" Bayley asked sitting down. She gave a small smile as the kid pushed a pudding cup her way. 

"His name is Reid, and he's looking for Charlie. I am assuming he means our mayor. Liv says she found him out on the streets by himself." Ruby explained, opening a juice box for the kid. 

Bayley rolled her eyes skyward wondering why Ruby had brought the kid to her. "Well, I suppose we should be thankful she didn't decide to gut him."

Ruby's eyes flashed dangerously, a warning that Bayley should watch how she spoke about Liv. "Look I get that you don't think highly of us, but even we have a code. Kids are innocent and they are off-limits. We don't traffick in people and we don't hurt kids or the elderly okay." 

"A bad guy with a heart of gold, how original," Bayley grumbled, ignoring the look Ruby was giving her. They were in public and while Bayley knew she should refrain from provoking Ruby, she was angry. "Why did you bring him here? Take him to Charlotte or the police." 

"It's not that simple. The police would assume incorrectly that we took him. Charlotte would think the same thing, we have enough on our plates without provoking the mayor. I brought him here because he is gonna be safer with a doctor than he is at a hideout." Ruby growled, shaking her head in frustration. She was trying to do the right thing and she felt like Bayley was throwing it back in her face. 

Bayley met her gaze before looking down. Ruby was right, Reid would be a lot safer at the hospital with Bayley then he would out on the streets. "Fine, I'll keep him and make some calls. I know an officer who won't really ask questions and will get him back to Charlotte." 

Ruby stood to her feet. "Thank you, I am glad he'll be safe with you." She said, before facing Reid. "Hey kid, stay with Bayley. She's going to help you get to where you need to be." 

Reid's lower lip wobble. "But I'm scared." 

Ruby gently ruffled his hair. "Don't be scared, here I'll give you some of my bravery." She whispered tapping her forehead gently to his. "See now you have enough bravery to fight all the monsters." 

Bayley looked away from the scene, she didn't want her opinion of Ruby to change. She couldn't really reconcile the cold hard mobster who had been bleeding out on her couch to the woman in front of her now. When Ruby finally left she looked to the kid. "I'll call a friend and we'll get you to Charlie okay. In the meantime do you want to watch some youtube on my phone?"

Reid sniffled and gave a little nod. "Yeah." 

\-----

Tamina Snuka found herself once again going through the burnt wreckage of her shop. All of her hard work and it felt like it was for nothing. She was checking out the burnt-out shell of what used to be the kitchen when she heard something behind her. Slowly she turned and caught sight of a familiar face.

"Hey what are you doing here?" Tamina asked tilting her head to the side. "Did your boss send you back to do another run-through of the building." 

The person didn't answer her, instead, all they did was unclip a box cutter from their belt. Tamina was confused by the silence and stepped forward towards the figure. 

"Hey, Sas-" The words were cut off abruptly as the figure drove the tip of the box cutter into Tamina's stomach and then twisted. Tamina fell forward clutching at the person stabbing her. "Why?"

"Because the fire didn't get to finish burning. But now it'll get to claim you." The figure purred in an almost sing-song voice. The figure then shoved Tamina down to the ground and stabbed her a couple more times. Satisfied with their work, they switched on a BIC lighter and threw it on top of Tamina's body. 

Slowly the figure made their way out of the burnt kitchen and grabbed a canister of gasoline, pouring it over the few untouched places the first fire hadn't claimed. There were was no remorse in their body language, to them Tamina was just another casualty to get to their intended target: Sasha Banks.

As the smoke began to fill what was left of Tamina's bakery, the figure laughed and pulled up the hood over their blue hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my writing squad of friends for helping me come up with some new twists and turns for this story. Thank you especially to Hunter for helping me come up with the twist for the serial arsonist. Business is about to pick up.


	8. A house of cards set aflame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A smaller chapter but with some important events happening. Charlotte gets reunited with her nephew thanks to Becky and Bayley. Sasha gets accused of murder and has to deal with the fallout.

Bayley was struggling to keep her eyes open, she was sitting in the hospital break room waiting for Becky to pick up Reid Jr. from her. The young boy was being well-behaved but Bayley was ready to go home and sleep for a while, watching him was kind of exhausting. The kid had boundless energy and Bayley's shift had ended over an hour ago. 

The doctor had worked a long shift and on top of babysitting was due for a couple of days off. She had been running herself ragged and she was feeling a little overwhelmed from being forced to play mob doctor for the Riott Squad. 

Thankfully Becky finally showed up and Bayley stood to her feet. "That's the mayor's nephew. Some idiots decided it would be a good idea to take him. You need to give him back to Flair." Bayley said, letting out a yawn. 

"Don’t worry I’ll take him off your hands. I had to call it in and let my bosses know I was coming to get him. Hey, are you okay, you look like you haven't slept in days." Becky pointed out, noting the dark circles under the girl's eyes. 

Bayley just waved her off. "Don’t worry about it. I'll be fine, I just need to go home. I just fed him so he shouldn't be hungry, he likes Paw Patrol and Spongebob, just put those on your phone if he gets too cranky." 

"Thank you for your help Bay," Becky said softly. 

"It's part of the job. Take good care of yourself, Reid." Bayley said, hugging the kid, before leaving Becky alone with him. 

Becky glanced at the blonde-haired little boy and sighed softly. Children were not Becky's strongest suit, she wasn't exactly a kid person. The more she studied him, the more she could see the resemblance between him and his aunt. "Alright, little buddy are you ready to go see your aunt?"

Reid looked up at Becky and nodded shyly. He had been shuffled around to a lot of different people and places, so he was feeling overstimulated. "I want to see Charlie." 

"We'll take you to see Charlie then. My name is Becky, I'm a police officer, I'm going to make sure both you and Charlie are safe okay?" Becky said, trying to keep her tone soothing and calm. She held out her hand and waited until the little boy took it, before leading him to the car. 

The drive to the mayor’s office was fairly uneventful, Becky tried to drive extra careful because she didn’t have a car seat for the kid. She found Charlotte waiting on the steps outside for them, flanked by at least half a dozen cops and private security. 

“I think I have somebody who wants to see you,” Becky said, moving to unlock the back door for Charlotte. 

The usually calm and collected mayor looked as though she had been crying. With long strides, she crossed the distance to the car and pulled her nephew up into a tight hug. 

“Charlie,” Reid mumbled, burying his little face into her shoulder. 

Charlotte held him close and glanced at Becky. “Thank you for bringing him to me.” 

Becky had never seen the mayor this vulnerable before, it made Charlotte seem almost human. “It’s not a problem, anyways I should go. I need to go talk to my boss. I called them on the way over here to let them know he was safe.” Becky explained. 

Seeing Reid reunited with Charlotte made Becky feel good, happy reunions were always a better part of the job. She had witnessed a lot of tragedy so seeing something go right was always a win. Maybe this would translate into her not being suspended anymore. 

In the crowd of officers who had been with Charlotte, Becky could see Finn. He gave her a nod and gestured her over. 

“How is it that trouble still manages to find you?” Finn asked, before placing a hand on her shoulder. “Good job on finding the kid.” 

“Trouble is my middle name I guess.” Becky shrugged her shoulders. “I got a call from my friend Bayley who works at the hospital, I guess a stranger found the kid and took him to the hospital.” 

Finn studied her for a moment trying to determine if she was lying. “Well, the good thing is the kid is safe. You have the mayor’s gratitude so that might be enough to win you some points with the boss. You should head to the station, it’s kind of an all-hands on deck. Some big stuff is happening, they arrested your friend.” He explained, trying to fill her in on what he knew. 

"What friend?" Becky asked confused. 

Finn just shook his head. "he one from the bar. You need to get down there, just hurry."

\-----

Sasha groaned as she stared at the paperwork in front of her. She had been going through it again, trying to find any leads on the serial arsonist. She didn’t understand why the arsonist was picking certain targets, it didn’t make any sense to her. The targets didn't seem to have anything in common and they were in all different parts of the city. There didn't seem to be a pattern for Sasha to follow which made it all the more frustrating for the firefighter. 

She was about to go through another file when Shayna rushed into the room. “What did you do Banks?” Shayna questioned, a note of panic in her tone that Sasha had never heard before.

Sasha looked confused and tilted her head to the side. “What are you talking about Baszler?” 

Basz did not look happy. “The cops are here with a warrant for you. What did you do?”

“Haha, very funny Basz. Some of us got work to do, so could you please leave me alone.” Sasha grumbled, thinking that Shayna was just messing with her. 

“I am not kidding.” Shayna snatched Sasha by the arm and dragged her over to the door, pointing to where a couple of uniformed police officers stood. “They are here for you, to arrest you.”

“Oh come on, they’re probably just here to ask for a witness statement. I am working on paperwork.” Sasha said, but her words died on her lips when one of the officers made eye contact with her. “I haven’t done anything, why would they arrest me?” Sasha whispered to Shayna. 

Shayna grabbed Sasha by the sleeve and yanked her away from the door. “Well you really stepped in it now, they’re coming this way.” Shayna hissed. 

“Hello there, my name is Officer Rollins. Are you Sasha Banks?” The taller of the officers asked as he approached Sasha. The way that he was staring at her, had Sasha wishing the floor would open up and swallow her

Taking a deep breath, Sasha nodded. “Yes, I am. But what’s going on, what is this about?” 

Rollins sighed and stepped forward. “Sasha Banks, you are under arrest for the murder of Tamina Snuka and on suspicion of being a serial arsonist.” 

"Excuse me, what are you even talking about?" Sasha’s eyes bugged out of her head as the officer handcuffed her, she tried to turn around and face him.. “I am a firefighter, I stop blazes I don’t start them. Wait did you say murder? Tamina’s dead?” A cold feeling seemed to stab through Sasha’s heart. Tamina was her friend, there was no way she could be dead. 

“Don’t resist,” Seth said as he shoved Sasha forward, leading her to his partner. “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say…”

Sasha mentally blocked the officer's voice out, her whole body feeling numb. She didn’t know what was going on, all she knew was that she hadn’t murdered anybody. She glanced over her shoulder at Baszler who was watching in shock. 

“Shayna, I need you to call Bayley. She’ll know what to do.” Sasha called, hoping Bayley would be able to come down to the station and give her an alibi. Surely, this all had to be a misunderstanding. 

Baszler nodded her head. "I'll go there now." She promised, watching as Sasha was dragged out of the firehouse in handcuffs.  
\----

A few hours later, Sasha found herself sitting in a cold interrogation room. It was freezing and the coffee they had given her tasted like mud. They had handcuffed her to the table and that is where she had sat for almost two hours. Sasha didn't know what was going on, but instead of feeling sorry for herself, her mind had drifted to Tamina. She couldn't believe that her friend had been murdered, let alone that they thought she had something to do with it. 

Sasha was yearning for her own bed, for the comforting hug she would no doubt get from Bayley. She hoped that Shayna had managed to get ahold of Bayley and let her best friend know what was going on. 

The door opened and Sasha glanced at the door, surprised to see Becky Lynch of all entering the room "What are you doing here?"

"I came here because I was talking to my boss about being reinstated, I saw that you got brought in. They say you murdered somebody." Becky said, taking a seat across from her. "I shouldn't even be here telling you this, but you need to ask for a lawyer." 

Sasha paled and shook her head. "Why would I need a lawyer? I didn't do anything though Becky. I am innocent." 

"It doesn't matter, get a lawyer," Becky advised, she had snuck a glance at the evidence and it was pretty damning. 

"I wouldn't murder anybody. You have to believe me" Sasha pleaded, she didn't want to go to jail. 

Becky reached across the table and covered Sasha's hands with her own. "I do believe you, but they won't. Get a lawyer, don't even talk to them." 

Sasha felt like she was going to throw up. "Won't that make me look guilty?"

Becky gave her hand a squeeze. "They already have made up their minds kid, they think you're guilty. Get a lawyer." With that Becky moved away from Sasha, heading out the door right as the chief of police Triple H and Seth Rollins walked in. 

The two men exchanged confused looks, but then sat down in the seat that Becky had vacated. "My name is Chief Helmsley, but everybody calls me Triple H. I assume you know why you're here." Triple H asked, setting down a thick file on the desk. 

"He said I'm being charged with murder," Sasha said, nodding to Seth. 

"Because you are," Seth said smugly. Like Becky had warned Sasha, it was clear that officer Rollins thought she was guilty.

Triple H nodded and flipped open the file. If Sasha had thought she was going to throw up before, seeing the charred remains of her friend was enough to actually cause her to throw up. She retched to the side of the table. 

Seth looked disgusted. "Ah come on really." 

Sasha heaved again, before shaking her head. "Please, I don't want to look at it. I didn't do it. I would never do that to her" 

"We have video surveillance and evidence that says otherwise, Ms. Banks." Triple H said, pulling out another grainy photo. "Are you saying that this person isn't you?"

Sasha stared at the image, the person did look like her, but the hair was different. The face, however, the face was eerily similar. There was no way that person could be her, but the undeniable proof was in front of her. Sasha felt like she was going to throw up again.

She met Triple H's eyes and decided to follow Becky's advice, feeling like it was her best option. 

"I'd like a lawyer please."


	9. You're gonna need a lawyer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha meets her lawyer and isn't thrilled. Bayley learns what happened to Sasha and worries about her friend. Now that Becky's back on the job, she and Finn need to figure out what is really going down in their city.

“Wake up!”

There was a dull pounding sound and it took Bayley a moment to wake up and realize that it was in fact not a dream. Somebody was standing outside her house pounding on the door. For a moment fear flashed through Bayley’s mind. She wondered if it could be the Riott Squad, but their MO was to just break in and not knock.

"Wake up Bayley, answer your phone!" 

The pounding noise at her front door finally ceased and Bayley felt around for her phone. She was tempted to call the cops or Becky at least, but when she picked up her phone she noticed something strange. Bayley had about six missed called, one from the police station and about five from Sasha's partner at the fire department: Shayna Baszler. 

A different kind of fear coursed through Bayley and she immediately pressed the call button to call Shayna back. She didn't know what was going on, but she had a sinking feeling that it had to do with Sasha. The very thought that something could have happened to Sasha made her feel like she was going to throw up. 

"Thank God you're finally awake, we need to talk. Can you open your door please?" Shayna asked in way of greeting, skipping all pleasantries. 

Bayley got to her feet and padded to the door. "It's been you that's knocking? You scared me half to death." 

"You sleep deep enough that the world could have ended and you wouldn't have noticed." Shayna fired back, before pushing past Bayley into the house. "As I said, we need to talk."

"Where's Sasha?" Bayley questioned quietly. She wasn't trying to be rude, she usually didn't mind Shayna's company, the fact that Sasha was close with her, usually was enough for Bayley. But something unsettled her at the moment about Shayna being there. "Is she okay?" 

Shayna hesitated for a moment, trying to find the words. "Depends on your definition of okay I guess. She's been arrested, they think she's the serial arsonist." 

Bayley wished she would have been sitting down. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Did you say arrested?" Bayley felt like her knees were about to give out, so she quickly found a seat. "Are you joking with me, because this isn't funny." 

Shayna shook her head. "I'm not joking Bayley. Sasha was arrested at the station, they charged her with Tamina's murder." 

The room felt like it was spinning. "Tamina's dead?" Bayley was aware of how close Sasha and Tamina were. "She would never do that. She would never hurt Tamina." 

"You know that and I know that, but they have really strong evidence that she did," Shayna said, taking a seat on the other side of Bayley. 

"Screw the proof, they're wrong. Sasha isn't a murderer or an arsonist. She would never do something like that." Bayley argued definitely. She couldn't believe that this was happening, couldn’t fully process what Sasha was being accused of. “I need to see her, I need to help her.” 

Shayna nodded sympathetically. “If you want to help her, she’s probably going to need bail money and a good lawyer.” 

Bayley wasn’t sure she knew a good lawyer, sure the hospital had some on retainer but that was different. “I’ll make a few calls. I want to be there for her, do you think the cops would let me see her?” 

“I am not sure if they would or not, they probably have her in interrogation right now. It wouldn’t hurt to ask though.” Shayna knew Bayley was normally kind and could probably gain a few minutes alone with Sasha. “Let’s go, I’ll drive and you can look up lawyers on the way.”

\----

“Do you think she actually did it?” Finn asked Becky quietly, they were both at their desks trying to fill out all the paperwork they needed so that they could come back. Finn had heard that Becky had been in the interrogation room. “Did she seem guilty when you saw her?”

Becky quickly shook her head, she hadn’t gotten much time to talk to Sasha outside of warning her to get a lawyer. “She seemed really confused and I just don’t think she has it in her to be a murderer.” 

“They have proof,” Finn argued, keeping his voice low. He trusted his partner, but he was curious as to her opinion of why Sasha could be innocent. Becky could be reckless and impulsive but she normally was a good judge of character.

Becky sighed and set her pen down, her eyes were starting to burn from staring at the papers. “I don’t know anything for certain Finn. This town is weird, it does bad things to good people, and bad people get away with a lot. Sasha...Sasha is one of the good ones. Everybody is corrupted in their own way, but not Sasha.” Becky replied. 

It wasn’t like she knew Sasha particularly well, but from the couple times they had hung out, Becky didn’t think the firefighter was capable of the crime. Becky had arrested countless suspects over the years and Sasha just didn’t give her that vibe. 

“They say she killed her friend.” Finn pointed out, folding his arms over his chest. He was trying to figure out Becky's mindset in all of this, to see if it was a thing that could potentially compromise her.

“I don’t care what they say, I’ve seen Sasha. She’s loyal to a fault, she’s been a dedicated firefighter.” Becky was having a hard time reconciling the person the footage with the person that she knew. 

Finn just nodded slowly and stole a glance towards the interrogation room. “I hope you’re right Becky, but she’s going to need a good lawyer.” 

“I know, I just hope she finds one. Anyways I have a different case I’m working on, I think I have a lead on the Australians.” Becky hadn’t forgotten how weird Billie and Peyton had acted towards her nor could she forget about Alicia’s death. 

Finn gave her a warning look. “Careful about how far you push your luck. Just because you saved the Mayor’s nephew doesn’t give you a free pass to tick off prominent citizens.” 

Becky shrugged and got to her feet. “Well do you want to come with me then? Make sure that I don’t cross an ethical line or whatever.”

Groaning to himself, Finn got to his feet. “I don’t think ethics was your strong suit anyways Lynch. I’ll come with you.” 

"You sure you wouldn't rather stay behind and have a cup of mud coffee?" Becky teased him, grabbing her gear. 

"Lynch sometimes you really make me want to ask for a different partner. Probably one who is less annoying and doesn't make me want to pull out all my hair," Finn grumbled, though his tone had no real bite to it. "So what's this lead on the Aussies?"

Becky gave him a small smile. "There were two really skittish lasses at the hotel entrance. They're totally hiding something so I think we follow them." 

Finn let out an annoyed sigh. "So you're lead is more of an unreliable hunch. Alright then, let's go." 

\---

Sasha was sitting in the interrogation room with her head down on the table. She had been left alone for a while and she was getting tired of sitting in a plastic chair. She was starting to get hungry and she had lost track of how long she had been in the room. 

She barely lifted her head when the doors opened. Somebody came by at least once every twenty to thirty minutes to make sure she was still alive and not trying to escape. It wasn’t like she could escape, she had nowhere to go considering she was handcuffed to a table. Sasha was hoping that it was Bayley coming to visit her, that maybe Shayna had gotten the word out. 

Instead, a man in a fine blue suit stood in front of her, he was pretty much bald, except for a ratty ponytail. He had a briefcase and was studying Sasha, causing her to squirm a bit uncomfortably in her seat. He didn't say a word to her yet, just observing her every moment like he was taking mental notes.

“Who are you?” Sasha asked, giving him a quick glance over.

A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of the strange man's lips as if he had been waiting for her to ask him this exact question. “My name is Paul Heyman and I am your advocate.” 

Sasha’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Excuse me, my what now?”

“I am your lawyer sweetheart, here to free you from the clutches of corrupt police officers.” Paul seemed to puff out his chest at this. “I have helped countless people far guiltier and slimy then you beat murder charges. You have heard of Luna Vachon and Brock Lesnar right? I once got the serial killer Adam Copeland off on a technicality.”

“I didn’t murder anybody.” Sasha protested in frustration and disgust. She was almost horrified by the fact that Paul Heyman was gloating about getting people off the hook when they clearly needed to be punished. 

She had seen the footage, she knew what it looked like, but Sasha hadn't murdered anybody. She would never have hurt Tamina anyways, the other woman had been like an older sister, one that Sasha cared about. People like Mark from the bar and Tamina had looked out for her when she was struggling in college. Tamina had always made sure she had extra food. 

Paul shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t care if you’re actually guilty or innocent. That has no bearing on what I am trying to accomplish. I am just here to try and protect you from prison and do my job. Let me assure you, Ms. Banks, I am very good at my job. I am probably your best and only chance of getting a deal and not having to serve any hard time.” The way his cheeks reddened puffed out, reminded her of an overinflated pufferfish. He was like a less attractive version of a peacock.

While Sasha appreciated having anybody in her corner, she wasn’t sure she could afford his retainer. “I don’t think I could afford you. You'd probably be wasting your time.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “I know for a fact that you can’t afford me on your salary. No, my dear, my services have been paid for by a good Samaritan. It’s best you don’t ask questions.” Paul advised sternly, though he still a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

Sasha frowned at him and then down at her cuffs. “Well since you’re my lawyer can you get me out of here or at least allow me to use the restroom? I’d be happy to even just stand up for a few minutes, my legs are asleep.” Sasha admitted. 

“They haven’t let you out for a break?” Paul frowned and nodded slowly. “I’ll see about getting you some better accommodations. When I get back, we have a lot to discuss, but we will get through this.” He promised, getting up to leave the room.

Sasha didn't know what Paul did, but a few minutes later an officer was in the room undoing her cuffs and giving her a drink of water. It felt better to be able to stand up, but the relief of being able to stand didn't wash away the uneasiness she felt when she realized her lawyer was staring at her. Something about Paul Heyman unnerved her, she had read articles about the people the lawyer had gotten freed from prison. Sasha didn't really want to be lumped into any sort of category with them.

"There's a woman out there, that wants to see you. I said I could get her probably ten minutes, do you want to see a.." Paul broke off, trying to remember the stranger's name. "I think she said her name was Bayley?"

Sasha's eyes watered and she stared down at the table. She hadn't really wanted Bayley to see her this way, but she needed to see her. "Yeah, go ahead and bring her in," Sasha said in a shaky voice. Her heart squeezed almost painfully at the thought of having Bayley close again. She would have given just about anything to have a cuddle from her best friend. 

Paul looked somewhat amused by her reaction and just gave a nod of his head. "I will go ahead and have them send her in. I can't promise much, but I'll try to give you two a minute alone."


	10. Curious and curiouser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bayley goes to the police station to visit Sasha, and Sasha isn't happy about Bayley's methods to try and bail her out. 
> 
> NXT and The Aussies are up to some shenanigans and Becky and Finn will have their work cut out trying to figure out their evil plan.

Bayley had seen a lot of defeated people in her life, she had done her best to use her medical knowledge to save them. However, she wasn't sure her medical know-how was going to save Sasha. Her best friend looked utterly broken on the other side of the interrogation table. Somehow smaller and shrunken in on herself, the handcuffs stark reminders of the fact that Sasha had been arrested for something that Bayley was confident she didn't do.

Sasha's head slowly lifted as the door opened, her eyes locking with Bayley's. It was a relief to see the doctor, her best friend was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the storm clouds. 

"I know it's a stupid question, but are you okay?" Bayley asked, moving to sit across from her. She reached out for Sasha's hands on the table, her fingers trembling. "Did they hurt you?"

Sasha slowly shook her head. "No they didn't hurt me, as for the first question, I'm not okay. Tamina is dead, and they think I did it. My old friends are dropping, Alicia and now Tamina." 

"I know you didn't do it. Shayna was telling me that they have some sort of surveillance video though?" Bayley was trying to understand, wishing that she could help. "If we can figure out when it was taken, I could probably give you an alibi." 

Sasha sighed, her whole frame deflating. "I am not sure what the time frame is, my lawyer is supposed to help me with that. Speaking of which do you know I have a lawyer?" 

Bayley shrugged sheepishly. "I may have called in a favor." 

"What did you do?" Sasha asked as her eyes widened. 

"I have been forced to play mob doctor a lot lately so the mob owed me a favor. Ruby Riott paid for your lawyer." Bayley said looking Sasha dead in the eyes. She felt guilty but she wasn't about to let Sasha be sent away for something she didn't do. 

Sasha almost choked on air. "Excuse me?! Bayley, we can't get into bed with these people. They are not good people, it's the mafia." She hissed, feeling like all the air had been knocked out of her lung. 

Bayley groaned and ran a hand over her hair. "Sasha I love you, you're being framed and I can't handle you being sent away. Ruby said she'd be posting your bail, so just let her okay? For once don't argue with me." Bayley pleaded, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. "I can't lose you, Sasha, you're one of the good ones in the city."

“It’s the mob though, it’s going to make me look even more guilty.” Sasha pointed out, before looking away from Bayley. It wasn’t like the doctor to act so impulsively and it really worried Sasha. “If I have to go away then so be it, but I won’t let you be tied to the mob, that’s far more dangerous then what I’m facing.” 

Bayley sniffled and hurriedly wiped the tears away from her eyes. "They keep showing up whether I want them to or not Sasha. It's better that I get something out of it. Is the lawyer a good one?"

"Yeah, he's something alright. He was gloating about his ability to get serial killers and mob hitmen off." Sasha knew that Paul Heyman was going to be a snake in the courtroom, but she didn't really trust him not to turn around and stab her in the back just for the heck of it. 

A heavy sigh escaped Bayley, hating the circumstance that surrounded them. "I am sorry about Tamina, I knew how much she meant to you. I can't even imagine how you're feeling right now." Bayley whispered reaching across the table to squeeze Sasha's hand. She wished that there was more she could do to provide her friend with some comfort. 

"I think our two minutes is up now Bayley. Just promise me you'll be safe, whoever is setting me up might go after you, maybe try and stay with Becky. I want her to keep you safe." Sasha wasn't sure if she'd be able to cope with something happening to Bayley. Bayley was probably the most important person in her life. 

"When this is all over we're going to get a couple of drinks at Mark's okay. I am sure 'Taker would love to see you, you know he worries about his favorite firefighter." Bayley was trying to make her feel better, but it wasn't really working. 

"Be safe Bayley, promise me!" Sasha pleaded, squeezing her hand almost painfully. 

Bayley nodded slowly. "I promise you." She whispered before extracting her hand from Sasha's death grip and forcing herself to walk out as Sasha's lawyer walked back in. 

\----

Adam Cole sat down in the conference room of the Outback Hotel. The leader of NXT didn’t appreciate the Aussies summoning him like he was some kind of dog, but he kept his mouth shut. If they were going to keep their working relationship steady, then he couldn’t allow himself to get offended over trivial things. 

Emma Dashwood had just entered the room flanked by her allies. Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm both cut intimidating figures behind her. Emma eyed Adam’s allies that he had brought with him, but otherwise didn’t comment on them. They were here to discuss business and she knew she had already irritated by Cole by the way she had summoned him. 

“Nice weather we’re having outside, not the usual storm clouds. The weather seems almost peaceful.” Emma commented, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she watched for Adam’s reaction. 

The leader of NXT tilted his head and raised a brow. “Did you really invite me all the way here for us to talk about the weather or do we have an actual business to discuss?” 

A smug smile tugged at the corner of Emma’s lips. “Straight to the point, I respect that Mr. Cole.” She gestured to Toni and Rhea. “Apparently some cops have decided that they want to question my people. That’s not good for business.” 

“Alright, but what do you want me to do about it?” Adam asked, unsure of what she was asking of him. He had brought his enforcers Keith Lee, and Roderick Strong with him. They were both intimidating figures and he felt confident that Emma and the rest of the Australian outfit weren’t going to stab him in the back, with the enforcers around. 

Emma let out a heavy sigh. “I need you and your associates to cause a distraction. I know the Riott Squad has been bothering you, so I would like to offer some assistance in driving them out of the docks. If we give the police some fireworks to chase, they will quit snooping around here.” 

“That would bring a lot of unneeded attention on us.” Roderick pointed out looking to Adam. NXT hadn’t been happy about being pushed out of the docks, but causing an all-out gang war in the streets was going to be more than a little costly. 

Emma pinned the lower-level mobster with a look. “It’s the price of doing business. We help you, you help us, that’s how a partnership works or are you not aware?” 

Roderick growled starting to get to his feet, but Adam shook his head. “Alright, let’s say we agree to cause a distraction. We’re going to need a little more than just a few extra bodies. We’re going to need guns and funds too.” Adam explained, keeping his voice even. He had a massive supply of guns already but he wanted to see if the Australians would be willing to do business anyways. 

The leader of the Australian outfit looked to Rhea and gave a slow nod. “Ripley and Storm will get you the funds you need, we’ll be in contact about the guns Mr. Cole. So we have a deal then?” She asked offering her hand to him. 

Adam nodded and shook her hand. “We have a deal, Ms. Dashwood, I look forward to seeing how our partnership flourishes in the future.” He pulled his hand back and gestured for Roderick and Keith Lee to follow him out. 

\----

“Are you sure this is a good idea, I feel like we’re just asking for trouble,” Finn muttered as he followed his partner into the Australian Outback hotel. He didn’t think Becky was going to change her mind but there was a solid piece of him hoping that at the very least she would be smart about her tactics. Becky was like a dog with a bone if she sensed trouble she was going to track it down. 

Becky gave him a look and nodded her head. “There is something fishy going on here Finn, I need to get to the bottom of it. They’re up to something, I can feel it.” Becky said, a glint of determination in her eyes. 

Finn let out a heavy sigh. “You do realize that you just recently got let off the hook for reckless behavior, you’re going to get in trouble.” 

“Well, there’s the exit if you don’t want to come with me,” Becky said making her way to the hotel’s front desk. 

Rolling his eyes, Finn followed her aways. A lot could be said about Finn Balor, but he was loyal to a fault. If his partner was going to get herself into trouble, then he felt obligated to have her back and try to keep the damage to a minimum. 

At the front desk was a new person that Becky didn’t recognize, a shorter man with a man bun. He looked somewhat bored but his eyes were as cold as ice. “Can I help you officer with anything?” 

Becky nodded, reading the name tag on his shirt. “Yes you can actually Pete, can I call you Pete?” 

Pete Dunne raised a brow and scoffed. “Yeah, I guess. What do you need help with Officer..?”

“Officer Lynch and this is my partner Officer Balor.” Becky supplied, pointing from herself and then to Finn. “We were wondering if it would be possible to talk to the owner of this establishment.” 

“You usually have to have a meeting set up,” Pete said, before gesturing to one of his coworkers to come to assist them. “Hey Ripley, we have some people over here who would like to talk to Emma.”

Becky’s eyes widened slightly when a tall and muscular woman walked over. The side of the girl’s hair was shaved and her nametag read ‘Rhea’. 

“If you’d like to talk to Emma she’s a bit busy at the moment. I can see if she has time to meet with you though.” Rhea said although she didn’t sound too happy about having to go get her boss. Emma and Toni were finalizing the last of the needed equipment for Adam Cole and his gang, which once that was done Toni and Rhea were supposed to go drop off to Cole. Rhea knew that Emma wasn’t going to be pleased with the police snooping around their business.

Finn and Becky stepped away from the front desk to wait, neither of them feeling particularly confident. There was something going on and now Finn was starting to realize that Becky had been right about the place being sketchy. 

“Do you think they’re actually going to let us talk to her?” Finn asked, glancing at Becky. 

“Last time the two that were down here before ducked me. They said we’d need a warrant.” Becky said, thinking that it was possible they’d need to do a stakeout and find probable cause for a search warrant. But she wasn’t even totally sure what they’d be searching for.

Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I think you’re right, something weird is going on here. Maybe we can try and talk to Moon again.” He whispered quietly, wondering if the undercover cop had some details on what was going on. 

“I doubt she’ll want to talk to us right now. She probably hasn’t forgiven me for the last time.” Becky trailed off as she saw Rhea and Pete exchange some words. Rhea then went to the back office, while Pete walked in their direction. 

“Apologies but it seems that Ms. Dashwood has already left. You’re more than welcome to come back at another time, preferably call ahead so that we can set up a meeting.” Pete said, though there was no warmth in his voice. He was watching them with a look of pure distrust. 

Becky wanted to argue, she had a feeling that Emma Dashwood was actually in the back, but she didn’t have any proof. “Alright well, let Ms. Dashwood know we stopped by and that we’ll be back.” Becky handed over one of her business cards. “We’ll see you around.” She added, before gesturing for Finn to follow after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everybody is still enjoying this story.


	11. Like a knife to the gut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte has to deal with her own internal feelings about Andrade and Zelina, while Bayley finds herself face to face with Sasha's evil twin Mercedes.

“Auntie Charlie, Auntie Charlie, I want a pancake.” 

Charlotte glanced down at her nephew and gently ruffled his blonde hair. “Yeah okay, Reid.” She hadn’t really let him out of her sight since getting him back. She was still pissed and angry at Alexa for even bringing him to town, but it was nice to see him. 

Reid’s mother was supposed to be coming to town to pick him up. Which, while Charlotte had been happy to see him, she was thankful for. The town of Pembroke Pines was not really a safe environment for a child. Especially when there was a gang war brewing and Charlotte’s own safety was in jeopardy. 

That was one of the reasons she had brought him to one of the dinners in town. This specific place was owned by a kind man named Ted DiBiase. He had a weird laugh but he had always been kind to Charlotte and her family. 

“He looks just like his father,” Ted commented as he took Charlotte’s order. “How’s your father doing?”

“He is doing well,” Charlotte said, not really wanting to talk about her family. It was a struggle sometimes to figure out who she could actually trust in this town. She figured DiBiase wouldn’t sell her out to the gangs but that didn’t mean he was trustworthy. 

The door chimed as more patrons entered the restaurant and Charlotte found her gaze drifting to Andrade. She hadn’t really seen her boyfriend in a while, but he was currently walking hand in hand with Zelina. 

Andrade’s marriage to Zelina was a confusing arraignment, the duo kept up appearances in public but it was well known that Zelina was seeing one of the tattoo artists in town. Still, it ate at Charlotte to see him with the other girl, even if it was fake. Charlotte didn’t like being somebody’s dirty little secret, but as a politician, she knew that most people had dirty little secrets. 

Andrade locked eyes with her and gave a small smile, before raising a brow when he saw Reid. He leaned down to whisper something in Zelina’s ear, before making his way over to Charlotte. “Who is this little heartbreaker?”

Reid’s glanced up at Andrade and instinctively curled into Charlotte’s side. Charlotte wrapped a protective arm around her nephew. “This is my nephew, he’s just visiting.” 

“Well, this town can always use more Flair,” Andrade replied, before giving Reid a little wink. “I’m Andrade, what’s your name?”

“Reid.” The boy replied timidly. He looked past Andrade towards Zelina who was walking over. 

Charlotte followed the little boy’s gaze and chuckled. “Would you two like to join us for breakfast?”

Zelina nodded and took the seat across from Charlotte. “That would be lovely, thank you. Hello, there cutie.” She said winking at the little boy. 

Reid’s eyes bugged out and he quickly buried his face into Charlotte’s arm, trying to hide. “You’ll have to excuse him, he’s a little shy,” Charlotte said, before focusing on Zelina. 

As much as she hated that Zelina got to be the one to wear Andrade’s ring, she couldn’t hate the immaculately dressed woman. Zelina had always been civil to her and even though she knew about the thing with Andrade, Zelina never said a harsh word in her direction. In fact, more often than not she had encouraged Andrade to do nice and thoughtful things for Charlotte. 

Charlotte focused on cutting up Reid's pancake once it got there, intentionally avoiding eye contact with Andrade. She knew that if any of the other town folks saw them talking together, that she would be painted as even more of a harlot. Charlotte didn't usually put much stock into what the other people thought of her, but she wasn't totally immune to the dirty looks they gave her. Not only was she their mayor, but in a lot of cases, she was somebody for them to hate. If people were out of work or if they weren't being paid enough it was somehow her fault. 

"So when did Reid get to town?" Andrade asked, trying to get her attention. He could sense something was up with her and he wasn't sure why she was avoiding him. 

"Some PI got this bright idea to bring him to town as leverage," Charlotte said, before explaining what had befallen her nephew. His adventures with the Riott Squad, to hanging out with Bayley, to being brought home by Becky.

"Wow, that sounds like you were really brave to have gone through all of that." Zelina cooed, giving the little boy a bright smile. "Were you scared at all?" 

Reid shook his head. "I missed auntie Charlie, but I wasn't scared. I'm brave." He said before his little cheeks turned pink. 

"You must take after your aunt, she's pretty brave too," Andrade said, his gaze softening as he studied Reid. He could see the Flair genes. Though Charlotte didn't like to often talk about her brother who had passed away, he knew that she carried her grief with her everywhere she went. He could see why protecting her nephew meant so much to her. 

Charlotte bit her lip, trying to fight back the emotions. Andrade had always been charming, but something about his compliment this time made her feel more emotional. Reid seemed to pick up on this as he curled into her side. 

Zelina studied them for a moment, before clearing her throat. "You know Reid, maybe you and your auntie should come over for dinner next time you're in town. I have some cool video games." She said, offering Charlotte a friendly smile. She knew how awkwardly the whole situation was and was trying to reach out and maybe build a relationship with the mayor, so they could cut back on the tension. 

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Charlotte said, keeping her tone event. She was willing to accept the olive branch that Zelina was offering. She knew that Zelina didn’t even have to put in the effort but it meant a lot to her that the shorter woman was trying.

“I love video games,” Reid said quickly perking up again when he had Zelina’s attention. 

“I guess we’re in,” Charlotte said, flashing a genuine smile in Zelina’s direction. At the very least it was a start. 

\----

Bayley was fuming as she let herself into Sasha’s house, not even noticing that the kitchen window was open. She was to fixated on the fact that Sasha was pissed about her going to the Riott Squad for help. It wasn’t like Bayley had wanted to do that, but it was her best option. The whole town was corrupt anyways and if they couldn’t beat the system then it made sense to play dirty. All she had done was hire a good lawyer, Paul Heyman had a knack for getting people out of trouble. There was a reason he had the reputation he did and with the trouble that Sasha was facing, she would need all the help she could get. 

Sasha's reaction in the interrogation room had stung a bit, Bayley wasn't immune to how sharp Sasha's words could be. She could understand why Sasha was upset, but in all fairness, Bayley felt like she was doing the right thing. She didn’t want Sasha to go to jail for a crime that she hadn’t committed, Bayley didn’t think Sasha was capable of doing something like that. Tamina had been Sasha's friend, killing her made zero sense. It was hard to rationalize why somebody would want to kill Tamina and frame Sasha for it, but Bayle was doing her best to think it over.

That was actually one of the reasons she had stopped by Sasha's house. Bayley figured she might be able to find something that could prove Sasha's innocence. The other reason she had stopped by was that she needed to feed Sasha's corgi.

“Ryu,” Bayley called out, looking for Sasha’s little pet. Bayley had a key to her best friend’s place since sometimes Sasha worked equally long hours, Bayley was used to coming over to feed the dog. After stressful days at work, Bayley enjoyed coming over to visit her friend and the cute little dog, it was a nice way to decompress. 

A deep frown settled on her features when the dog didn’t come running like usual. “Ryu, come here!” She called again, hoping the dog would listen. She could hear scratching at one of the bedroom doors and sighed. “Did you get yourself trapped in a room? Buddy, you’re as stubborn as your mother, always getting into trouble.” Bayley grumbled, trying to find the room the dog was in so she could free him. 

Just as the doctor reached the door, something or rather somebody grabbed her from behind covered her mouth with a cloth. There was a heavy odor coming from the material that stung Bayley's senses. Grabbing at the person's wrist, Bayley’s eyes bulged as she struggled, thrashing against the person until her world went dark. 

When Bayley awoke again, everything felt hazy and dark. It took a second for her sense to return to her, but when they did the first thing that she noticed was that she was duct-taped to a kitchen table chair. The second was that there was somebody talking near her, but she wasn’t sure if the person was talking to her. 

Bayley struggled against the chair and then frowned as she realized she wasn’t about to get free without some help. Her throat felt dry but she forced herself to call out anyways. 

“Hello?” Bayley hated the way her voice trembled like a scared child’s, but she couldn’t help it. She was scared, her memory was a little fuzzy but she recalled being attacked from behind. “Please let me go.” 

“I can’t do that.” A voice said from behind her. It was sickenly familiar and if Bayley didn’t know any better she would have thought that the stranger who stepped in front of her was Sasha. The girl looked identical to Bayley’s friend, except for dark blue hair instead of purple. 

“You’re not Sasha, she’s still in jail,” Bayley said quietly, trying to process her shock at seeing the stranger. The stranger was wearing some of Sasha's clothes including a jacket that Bayley had gifted Sasha for Christmas. “Who are you?”

The stranger let out a low laugh. “You’re very observant aren’t you? You are correct, I am not Sasha. My name is Mercedes.” 

Bayley couldn’t recall Sasha ever mentioning having a sister or a twin. For the briefest of seconds Bayley considered that Mercedes could be a clone, she had watched a TV show like that once. 

“Mercedes...are you the one who killed Tamina?” Bayley questioned, trying to get her wits about her. Her head was still spinning. “Why did you attack me?”

“I wasn’t expecting to get interrupted during my research. It’s not very nice to show up uninvited.” Mercedes chided, scolding Bayley as if she was a mere child. “Not polite at all.” 

Bayley wanted to point out that Mercedes herself had shown up without an invite but tried to bite her tongue. She wasn’t sure what this stranger was capable of, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out either. 

Mercedes sighed and stepped away from Bayley moving to rifle through some of Sasha’s drawers. “She’s lucky you know. Your little friend, she grew up power which is unfortunate, but at least she got to be herself. I was kept in a cage, my mother’s little mocking bird. So pretty but only for show and tell.” 

Bayley wasn’t sure what Mercedes was going on about but again tried to keep quiet. She was trying to figure out a way to get out of her current situation. 

“I was seventeen when I realized I had a sister. I thought I was alone in this world, but it turned out I wasn’t. But then I began to think if I had a twin, how come we weren’t raised together?” Mercedes was rambling again, raving about her childhood. 

“I am not sure Sasha even knew about you. She never mentioned you.” Bayley said after a moment. 

“Bingo!” Mercedes let out a laugh. “I can see why she keeps you around. I was denied a chance to know my sister, kept away by cruel people. So imagine my surprise when I find out she’s an actual hero. A firefighter who saves people, a woman who has a life with actual friends.” 

“Why not just introduce yourself to her? I am sure she would want to meet you.” Bayley said still struggling to understand why Mercedes had killed Tamina. She wasn’t sure what the two issues had to do with each other. 

Mercedes’ eyes darkened into almost black pools of anger. “Because she got to live a happy life while I was enduring a living hell. I always knew there was something out there, why should her life be perfect when mine isn’t? It’s her turn to suffer.” Mercedes replied darkly. 

Bayley frowned, trying to push down the fear she felt. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of the crazy woman. “You don’t have to do this. We can get you some help?”

“We? Who is ‘We’?” Mercedes questioned, before snickering. “I was just going to assume her identity. Get rid of the people who know her best and then live the life I was meant too. I already got rid of that pesky bakery owner, and according to these pictures, she seems to hang everywhere...I just need to get rid of you and her pesky little firefighter partner. Then I’ll move away, start a new life with her identity.”

Bayley was horrified by Mercedes’ plan. “Please don’t do this.”

Mercedes let out a full-on evil. “It’s the perfect plan really. She gets to be the one caged up now, the world is going to witness a new and improve Sasha Banks played by yours truly. Nobody will believe it when her partner and her best friend turn up dead.” 

“Your plan has a flaw. If she is in jail how are you going to take her identity? If you try and use it, they’ll catch you.” Bayley pointed out. “You won’t get away with it.” 

Bayley’s words stopped Mercedes in her tracks, she hadn’t thought about that. “Well, maybe I won’t assume her identity then. I’ll just kill the people she cares about and let her go to jail for it. Then she will know how it feels to be caged!” Mercedes growled, turning to grab a knife from the cutting block. 

It was at that moment however a knock sounded at the door. “Bayley are you here? How’s Sasha?” Shayna’s voice echoed through the little apartment and it was getting closer. 

Bayley frowned. “Shayna help me!” She shouted

Mercedes let out a small sigh as she tightened her grip on the knife. “I guess this is to be continued ponytail, I’ll be back for you. An opportunity has knocked and I'd be a fool not to take advantage” She said, before going off to take care of Shayna. 

Bayley couldn’t see it, but she could hear the sound of flesh impacting flesh and then a wet sound as Mercedes stabbed Shayna repeatedly. Bayley let out a horrified scream, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

A few seconds later Shayna staggered into the kitchen, the knife still in her gut as blood poured from multiple stab wounds. She looked confused as she glanced at Bayley, her breath shaky. 

“I think she stabbed me,” Shayna mumbled as if she couldn’t quite process what had happened. She glanced down at her blood-covered hands. “I’m bleeding.”

“Shayna please let me loose and I’ll help you.” Bayley pleaded, realizing that Shayna was starting to go into shock. She didn’t know where Mercedes was, but she hoped she could help Shayna just in case the psychopath came back. 

Shayna struggled but managed to free Bayley from the duct tape only to almost collapse against her once she got her loose. Bayley caught her and gently laid Shayna down on the kitchen floor. She grabbed a couple of towels, applying pressure to the firefighter’s wounds as best as she could. 

“I got you. Stay with me Shayna, I’m going to get you help,” Bayley said, slipping into doctor mode. She grabbed Sasha's house phone from the counter and quickly dialed 911. She was hoping they'd hurry up and get there. "Just stay with me Shayna please." Bayley pleaded, scared that the girl would bleed out on Sasha's apartment floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was shorter in the sense of only two scenes, but we're gearing up for something big my friends.


	12. Author's note:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to talk to the readers real quick:

Hey everybody sorry to interrupt the story but my friend Hunter made a really cool piece of fan art for the story and I wanted to share it.

  


You should definitely check out his work, he writes some amazing stories. So check him out at https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahunter8056

He deserves all the support and love.

Also speaking of which, me and some of my fellow WWE writers and friends have a writer's discord server for those of us who like to write professional wrestling fanfiction. It'd be a way for writers to brainstorm with other writers, make friends, and generally talk about wrestling. If that's something you'd be interested in, let me know in the comments and we'll try and get more information out to you.

I love you all and I hope you're staying safe out there

\- Relentlass


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now back to our regularly scheduled programming: Sasha deals with the fallout of Mercedes attack on Bayley/Shayna. Alexa makes a deal with a potential devil. Becky and Finn's stakeout does not go as expected.

-At the hospital-

The first thing that Sasha did as soon as she was released from the police station, was to head for the hospital. She hadn’t appreciated the way that officer Rollins was treating her or the way that he spoke to her when he said that they were letting her go. She had, of course, asked why, which had led to him making a statement about a different lead coming to light. It was another officer, who had informed her about the accident at her house. 

For some reason, it felt like the world had stopped and Sasha felt like she was falling downward. It had only gotten worse when the officer informed her that Bayley had been held hostage and Shayna was attacked. 

As soon as she was allowed Sasha just wanted to check on Bayley. Paul Heyman had tried to warn her to watch her back, that she would likely be under surveillance but it didn’t matter to her. Sasha knew the truth, she hadn’t killed Tamina, and more importantly, she knew that Bayley needed her. Shayna, who had her back when nobody else did, needed her too and the idea of somebody hurting her friends like that made Sasha sick. 

Truth be told Sasha wasn’t even sure how Paul had gotten her freed, but she didn’t stick around to ask him. He had spouted some legal mumbo jumbo, that no doubt he knew because of all the mobsters he had defended.

It didn’t take her too long to find Bayley, but when she did her best friend look shell shocked to see her. Bayley’s eyes had widened to the size of saucers. Sasha reached for Bayley’s hand, but the doctor recoiled. 

“It’s uncanny how much the two of you look alike,” Bayley muttered stunned. 

“What are you talking about? What happened to Shayna, I heard she got stabbed.” Sasha said, concerned for her partner’s wellbeing. “Is she going to make it?” 

Bayley reached out to touch Sasha’s hair and then a rough tug. “Ow, what the heck?” Sasha roared stepping back, clearly pissed. 

“I had to make sure you weren’t her.” Bayley took a deep breath. “Your evil twin just attacked me and Shayna. She held me captive in your kitchen Sash.” 

Sasha raised a brow. “Evil twin? I have an evil twin?” This was a lot to process and Sasha felt like she needed to sit down. 

“She looked just like you except her hair was blue. Sasha, she’s out to murder everybody you care about.” Bayley explained, giving Sasha a rundown on what Mercedes had said. “Mercedes is crazy and you’re in danger.”

“She killed Tamina! She’s framing me, you have to tell the cops.” Sasha pleaded with Bayley. 

“It’ll sound crazy to them, they aren’t going to believe me. But I’ll tell them.” Bayley promised, shaking her head. It was so weird to her to see Sasha after seeing Mercedes like there were the obvious similarities, but even some of their mannerisms seemed to be the same. 

Sasha rubbed her temples, trying to calm down. Her heartfelt like it was going to pound right out of her chest. There was somebody out there, that looked just like her, and was murdering the people she cared about. 

“This feels like a bad episode of Orphan Black,” Sasha muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that this was her life. “Okay, I can’t deal with this right now. How is Shayna?”

“She’s in surgery still, but they think she’ll pull through. I managed to apply pressure to the wounds, but she’s not out of the woods yet. It’s going to be a long road ahead for her.” Bayley wasn’t going to sugarcoat things for Sasha. Mercedes had managed to stab Shayna a lot of times. 

Sasha sighed and buried her face in her hands. “This is a mess.” 

“How did Heyman even get you out of lock-up?” Bayley asked, it suddenly dawned on her that Sasha wasn’t in jail. “How did you get here?”

“Your mob lawyer is apparently very good. He got me out, I don’t know how, I just know most likely there is somebody watching me, aside from the killer twin.” Sasha didn’t even attempt to crack a smile or do anything except sit there. She was emotionally and mentally exhausted. 

Bayley was hesitant but slowly wrapped her arms around Sasha. “It’s going to be okay.” She whispered soothingly. She wasn’t sure if that was actually going to happen, but she was doing her best to try and reassure Sasha, despite her own worries. There was a piece of Bayley that was scared that things were only going to get worse from here. 

"How can you be so sure?" Sasha asked, clearly still worried.

"I have faith. We'll figure it out." Bayley whispered, trying to be braver than she felt.

\-----  
\- At Alexa Bliss' private eye office- 

Alexa Bliss was having a very, very crappy day. Not only was she trying to duck calls from the Mayor, but she was also still trying to avoid Charlotte's wrath. Charlotte Flair was not a woman that most people wanted to wrong, and due to the unfortunate kidnapping of Charlotte's nephew, Alexa was on the mayor's hit list.

So far the taller blonde had sent officers to cite Alexa for every little infraction that she committed, which was starting to make it difficult for Alexa and her associates to do their job. Nikki and Drew had found themselves being pulled over and unfairly punished thanks to their connection to Alexa. 

"You should really just apologize to her," Nikki suggested as she stared across the office at Alexa. They had sent Drew out to fetch their lunch, Alexa hadn't wanted to leave the office due to Charlotte's grudge. 

"I really don't think that's the best idea, Nikki. You saw how pissed Charlotte is, she could murder me and get away with it." Alexa could feel the beginning of a headache brewing. 

Nikki stood up and walked across the officer handing Alexa an Excedrin for her headache. They had been partners long enough for Nikki to know when Alexa was struggling. "If you need to get out of town I could always call Damo." 

Alexa thanked Nikki for the medicine and shook her head. "It's not that drastic yet, but if things keep going downhill we're probably going to need your boy to come to town and rescue us." 

Truth be told Alexa was a little scared of Nikki's boyfriend. As a private investigator, Alexa usually did a background check on everybody she worked with, Killian Dain who Nikki referred to as Damo...his rap sheet alone was a mile long. He was a dangerous man and Alexa didn't want to have to bring him in unless it was totally necessary

"Do we have any new cases to work on at least? I know Charlotte is out to get us, but we can't let her run all our clients away." Nikki was eager to get back out there. She had met a lot more intimidating individuals then the tall Amazonian mayor. "I hate that she's throwing her weight around." 

"Well she's the mayor and a Flair, she's bound to do that, it's genetics," Alexa muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose as she took the pill. 

"Speaking of genetics, my apologies for bothering you ladies but I have a case." A voice called from the doorway, startling the two women. 

Alexa's eyes widened as she took in the portly frame of Paul Heyman, dressed as usual in his best suit. She had never run in the same social circles as Paul, but she had heard the horror stories about him. He was a powerful man, employed by the mafia and rich alike to take care of their trivial matters. He was a courtroom shark and Alexa didn't doubt he could have way in just about any courtroom. 

"C-can we help you?" Nikki stammered, clearly recognizing the well-known lawyer. "Mr. Heyman sir." 

Paul Heyman looked amused by the fact that they recognized him. "It seems my reputation proceeds me, and as a matter of fact, you can help me. I have a simple case that I think would benefit from your attention." 

Alexa raised a brow. "A case, what kind of case?" 

"I need you to tail one of my clients, take some surveillance photos and make sure she isn't followed. There is somebody after her and I want to make sure that she is safe." Paul explained, pulling a file out of his briefcase. "She's been falsely accused of a crime and I think she has a doppelganger running around town trying to frame her. "

"A doppelganger?" Alexa was confused, but took the file and began to look through it. 

"We would love to take the case and help you Mr. Heyman...sir," Nikki said, before hesitating. "Except we're kind of in a pickle of our own. We've grateful offended the mayor and she's doing everything she can to get in the way of our business. She has it out for Alexa." 

Paul gave a thoughtful hum. "Charlotte Flair is certainly a character, leave it to me. I will make sure she keeps her nose out of your business and you tail my client. I want to make sure she is safe and I want to have proof that there is somebody out there trying to frame her." 

"We're not bodyguards sir." Alexa protested. 

"Oh believe I know that however, I am a man who does my homework and research. My research tells me you get results and you're efficient. I need that and if you are successful in helping me this time, I might have need of your services for future cases." Paul flashed a sleazy smile and tilted his head. "Just consider it ladies, I think it could be quite lucrative for both parties," Paul said, before heading to the door. 

"We didn't say yes!" Nikki called out to him. 

"Yet, you didn't say yes yet! But you will, money is a factor, ladies. You help me and scratch my back, I make sure you have enough cases to never have to worry about money again and I keep the mayor off your backs. It's a win-win, I look forward to working with you." Paul called over his shoulder, leaving the two women behind to think about his offer. 

\-------

-At the Outback Hotel parking structure-

“What do you think he’s doing over there?” Becky asked as she stared through her binoculars at the backside of the Outback hotel. She and Finn had been staking out the place for the better part of three hours. So far all they had witnessed was Pete Dunne carrying duffle bags and laundry carts to the back of a white van. 

“Probably the same thing he’s been doing, bringing his stuff to the laundry van,” Finn replied. He was thoroughly exasperated with his partner’s antics sometimes. Becky wasn’t good at sitting still and her nervous energy had slowly been grating on his nerves for the past three hours. 

Becky frowned and justed her view. “That’s the lamest laundry van I have ever seen. It looks more like a serial killer’s van.” She muttered. She wished that she could see what was inside the van but no doubt that would probably take a warrant. 

Finn gripped the wheel, watching with interest as Pete Dunne finally closed the door to the back of the van. “I do imagine if any of them was a serial killer it would be him, he has those lifeless eyes.” 

“I’ve been doing some research and according to facial rec, a lot of the workers at this hotel have connections to the Australian mob.” Becky mused, pulling up her phone. She had been making detailed notes on the things she had observed. 

“If this really does have something to do with the mob than we should probably call in the gang unit,” Finn suggested. He was well aware of the fact that Becky was still skating on thin ice after everything that had gone down with her interfering with Ember. Luckily the other officer was still undercover with the Riott Squad, and it didn’t look like Becky had blown that up too badly. 

Becky scowled, a dark look crossing over her features. After the reprimand, she had gotten from the gang unit she wasn’t looking forward to having to speak to them again. “They’re a bunch of wankers, with sticks up their butt. I’d rather not have to make that call, but you aren’t wrong Finn. If this is as big as I think it is, we’re going to need back up.” Becky conceded reluctantly, forcing herself to admit that they could use help.

Finn nodded as he radioed for help, wanting to let the gang task force know what they were up against. There were a lot of good cops in the city but there were also some bad ones that would no doubt tip off the Aussies. 

He glanced up, his eyes widening when he noticed a familiar face walking over to get into the truck with Pete Dunne. Adam Cole and three of his NXT associates had made their way into the laundry truck. 

Becky pursed her lips. “I think this just went from bad to worse. We know that the Riott Squad and NXT are feuding, but if the Aussies have chosen a side in this conflict…” She trailed off and just shook her head. The last thing that this city needed was a gang war. It was bad enough having two powerhouses going at it, adding in a third variable like the Aussies and it was just asking for trouble. 

Finn started the car and quickly radioed in the new information. “It looks like they’re about to be on the move. Buckle up Lynch, we’re going to keep tailing them. I have a very bad feeling about where they are taking that van.” 

“Make sure you stay back a couple of car lengths. We don’t want to tip them off but we also don’t want to lose them.” Becky reminded. 

“It ain’t my first day on the job Lass.” Finn fired back. Part of him was glad to see some action, he wasn’t any better about enjoying stakeouts. He preferred to be where the action was. “You were right about the hotel and casino being shady, if this mess pans out the way it’s leaning, you might have a big bust on your hands.” 

Becky considered his words and gave a light-hearted shrug, trying to focus on where the white vehicle was fleeing too. “I am not in this for the glory Finn. I just want to make a difference, I don’t like the idea of what this city could become if we don’t get the gangs under control. It bothers me that they’ve already got so many corrupt people on their payroll.”

Becky had her flaws, she was not at all anywhere near perfect. She could be fiery, stubborn and often impulsive, but she wasn’t dirty. She took a lot of pride in the uniform and badge she wore. It bothered her when her coworkers didn’t. 

“You sound like one of the comic book heroes trying to crusade for justice.” Finn joked with her. 

“No, definitely not. I just want to protect Pembroke Pines. This is my home and if I don’t protect it, who will?” Becky questioned. As they continued to follow the van, she realized the vehicle was heading right for the docks. “You don’t think you’re going to actually try and stage an attack on the Riott Squad do you, they can’t be that stupid…”

Finn watched horror-struck as Pete Dunne, Adam Cole, Cole’s associates exited their vehicles and grabbed weapons out of the laundry bag in the back. There were a couple of other cars that had appeared on the scene, and they quickly emptied as well. The occupants of those cars rushed to grab weapons from the white van as well. 

Far too quickly chaos unfolded as the group began to open fire on the Riott Squad headquarters spraying the docks with bullets and a couple of Molotov cocktails for good measure. Smoke began to pour out of the building and as members of the gang ran out, they were quickly mowed down by the rain of bullets.

Becky was stunned as she stood there, Finn and her alone were not going to be able to take on the combined forces that were assaulting the building. “We have to get back before they spot us. We’re going to need a whole lot of back up. Call the fire department and some ambulances, I have a feeling we’re going to need them.” Becky instructed, lifting her camera to take a few photos of what was going down. She wasn’t sure there was much she could do to help the Riott Squad, but she could at least have pictures of Adam Cole’s crew committing the crime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, brother the tangled web we weave. I hope you're all enjoying the story still and hanging on. I wonder if any of the riott squad members survived what just went down. Who knows.


	14. Chapter 13: Some fires burn brighter than others

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby Riott deals with the attack on her head quarters. Sasha and Bayley get into a disagreement, but Bayley can't fix it before the hospital is flooded with patients from the gang war.

If her life as a mobster and leader of the Riott Squad gang, Ruby Riott had witnessed a lot of things. She had seen people being tortured, gutted, and a multitude of other violent things. It was part of the business, it was to be expected. It never got easier seeing the people you cared about killed. 

She took a bullet to the clavicle and though it hurt like a hellish fire, it didn’t hurt as much as seeing Hanson take a bullet to the head. She watched as the big man dropped a few feet away from her. Acrid smoke was starting to fill the warehouse on the docks, but Ruby knew that going outside was a death sentence too. 

“Rue…” 

Ruby turned to the sound of a faint voice. Liv had taken a bullet to the thigh, she sat leaned up against one of their cars trying to take cover. Ruby staggered over to her and knelt down next to Liv. It wasn’t ideal but she grabbed a shop towel and placed it over Liv’s leg applying pressure. 

“It hurts Rue.” 

“I know Liv, shhh.” Ruby cooed, trying to keep her friend calm. She unfastened her belt and tied it around Liv’s leg trying to staunch the bleed. It wasn’t a permanent solution but it would have to do for now, until Ruby could get her some help. 

Liv seemed to notice Hanson for the first time and seemed to process that the big guy was dead. “He carries a gun on him, it’s in his waistband. He isn't going to need it anymore.” She pointed out. 

Ruby winced as she moved to grab the gun from her fallen comrade. “We have to get out of here, I don’t know where anybody else is.” 

Distantly they both could hear Sarah and Rowe’s war cries as they began to return fire on the NXT gang. Ruby could see Sonya trying to get Mandy to safety out the backside of the warehouse. Dolph was following them when he got shot in the back, his gun skittering away from him. 

“We can’t stay here, keep your head down,” Ruby instructed. She hauled Liv up to her feet, ignoring the yelp of pain that came from the blonde’s lips. She began to drag Liv towards the exit, as she burst out into the sunlight it took a moment for Ruby’s eyes to adjust. 

Sonya and Liv were on their knees about to be shot in the head execution-style by Bobby Fish. Ruby didn’t even hesitate, shooting the man right in the head. The fact that he was Adam Cole’s right-hand man only made the revenge that much sweeter in her opinion.

“Get up and help me,” Ruby demanded as the other girls scrambled to their feet. “Get Liv to the hospital, ask for Doctor Martinez. Go!” She said, nodding when Sonya grabbed Bobby Fish’s gun. 

“What about you Rue? Where are you going?” Liv asked, her eyes widening in horror. "Come with us, you're already bleeding and hurt."

“I'll be fine, it doesn't matter. I am going to try and save everybody else. Dolph and Hanson are dead, but I need to see if I can find the others.” Ruby said, pushing her way back into the warehouse. She wasn’t sure if she could find everybody through the smoke and the rain of gunfire but she was going to try. She could hear gunfire coming up from the second floor and Sarah still yelling, so she headed in that direction.

If Adam Cole thought that he was going to take out her group, then she was going to make him fight for every bloody inch. Ruby knew that her crew wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and neither was she. She ran up the stairs, grabbing a high powered rifle on her way. If Ruby had her way Adam Cole was going to be leaving the fight in a body bag.

\----

-At the hospital- 

“Do you want anything from the vending machines?” Bayley asked, trying to keep herself busy. Sasha hadn’t left the hospital for almost sixteen hours at this point, and Bayley was trying to figure out the polite way to tell her friend that she needed a shower. 

Sasha shook her head and remained planted in the seat. “No, I am going to be right here to protect Shayna. I am not leaving her alone.” 

“The hospital has security guards for that. I’ll keep an eye on her Sasha, but you need to go home.” Bayley replied gently. She was still pretty shaken up about what had gone down with Mercedes and seeing Sasha so soon after was making her feel uneasy. She knew it wasn’t Sasha’s fault, but being around the firefighter was putting everybody at the hospital in danger.

“Wait for just a second, are you kicking me out?” Sasha asked, sounding a little hurt. 

Bayley’s face fell and she shook her head. She hadn’t been trying to hurt Sasha’s feeling but she could tell that she had done that now. “I just think it’s safe for you at home Sasha.” 

“You mean my house that got broken into? Sure I’ll go home and maybe run into my evil twin while I’m at it.” Sasha huffed, clearly offended. She was worried about Shayna but she wasn’t going to stay where she wasn’t wanted. 

“Sasha I didn’t mean it like that,” Bayley interjected, feeling guilty for hurting her friend. She clutched at Sasha’s wrist spinning the firefighter back around to face her. “I just meant that you need to get some rest. You aren’t helping Shayna by being here, if Mercedes comes back, she’ll target everybody.” 

Sasha scowled at her and yanked her hand away from Bayley. “When the mafia showed up at your house I was there for you. Even though it put me in danger I had your back. You hired a fricken mafia lawyer to represent me, but you want to say that I’m the one who puts people in danger…” Sasha let out a bitter laugh and walked away. She couldn’t even stand to look at Bayley. 

The doctor started to try and go after her, wanting to follow Sasha and make sure she was okay, but a news alert pinged on her phone. She clicked it and felt her jaw drop as she saw the headlines of the fire on the docks and the attack on Ruby's headquarters. 

"Oh crap," Bayley muttered, knowing that the hospital was most likely going to be hit with a bunch of patients. A tiny part of her hoped that Ruby was okay, the mob boss had been a pain in her side, but she had come through to help Sasha. Shoving those thoughts aside, Bayley made her way to the locker room. The hospital was going to need every available hand, she could already tell. 

\----

-Outside the warehouse- 

"Drive!" Ember Moon snapped as she stumbled into the back of Finn and Becky's car. She smelled of burnt skin and smoke. her right arm and the left side of her torso was badly burned, but the undercover cop was still standing. She had snuck out through a broken window of the warehouse, or rather fallen through a burning 2nd-floor window and landed in a dumpster. Ember had pulled herself out of the dumpster and staggered almost two blocks before she had seen Finn and Becky's car.

Finn took one look at the wounded officer and then called it in, before driving her to the hospital. "How did you get out of that inferno?"

Ember glared at him, wincing as the pleather of his car seat scraped over her burns. She was in agony, fighting to stay conscious. "I have no idea, to be honest. I fell into a dumpster I think it honestly saved my life." 

"Did ya see Riott up there?" Becky asked curiously. She wasn't sure if anybody outside of Ember had survived the ongoing onslaught but she was hopeful. From her and Finn's spot further up the street, it had looked like total carnage. 

"Riott got Morgan out and rescued Deville and Rose. Hanson took a bullet to the head, and I think if Ziggler is still alive he has a broken back." Ember answered fighting through the pain with every word. She had never hurt like this before and it showed. "Riott went back in to search for Logan, Dean Ambrose, Rowe, and the others. I d-don't know if she's alive or not." 

"Well, this gang war just escalated by ten." Becky shook her head, hoping that the fire department could put out the flames. She may not have liked the Riott Squad but compared to the alternative of NXT, she wasn't sure which one was worse. 

Finn pressed the gas pedal to the floor. He had a feeling that this war was only going to keep escalating. "Maybe we can talk to the captain and have him pull you out. It's getting dangerous." 

If Ember heard him, she made no noise. When Becky glanced back, she noticed the other officer had passed out. "I don't know if she's breathing, hurry Finn," Becky said climbing between the seat to get in the back. She felt for Ember's pulse and scowled. "Don't you die on me Ember. You keep fighting." She muttered, starting CPR. She was going to let her fellow officer die on her watch.

It took far to long in Becky's opinion for Finn to pull up at the hospital's emergency entrance. He ran inside to get help and a few seconds later Bayley and some nurses were coming out to take Ember from Becky. 

"You have to save her!" Becky growled, trying to follow after Bayley, as they wheeled Ember in a gurney towards the inside of the hospital. "Bayley please." Becky pleaded. 

"I'll do what I can," Bayley called over her shoulder. She couldn't make any promises about Ember's survival and they both knew it. 

Finn grabbed Becky's elbow. "Look there is no telling if NXT is coming to finish the job or not. We need to get with hospital security and protect the building. Nobody but hospital staff and officers get into those rooms." 

Becky nodded in agreement knowing that Finn was right. They needed to focus on what they could control, it was the only way that they were going to be effective. "You should call Ember's handler and let them know." 

"Of course, let's make sure everybody here is supposed to be here. I wouldn't put it past NXT to have people waiting to clean up the mess." Finn said, gesturing for Becky to take the lead. 

"I knew something was off about those Aussies. I just knew it!" Becky muttered, wishing she had managed to put a stop to it all before it turned into a gang war. 

"No use beating yourself up Lass. You and I both know bad things are going to happen, we can't stop them all." Finn said squeezing her shoulder. He had been around a lot longer than Becky in this town, he knew how dark Pembroke Pines could really be. 

Becky sighed heavily. "That doesn't make it any easier." 

"I know Bex, I know." 

\------

-In the hospital parking lot-

Alexa Bliss frowned as she watched Sasha Banks storm to the hospital parking lot like a woman possessed. Alexa sat in her car and glanced down to the folder in her lap. "That's our target right there." 

"She's a lot smaller than her reputation would lead us to believe," Nikki said from where she sat in the passenger side of Alexa's car. She was in charge of snapping pictures of Sasha and the surrounding area. 

"She's small but yet somehow she's still big." Alexa sighed. She started the car watching as Sasha got into a small car and pulled out of the parking lot. Alexa proceeded to tail the firefighter from a distance, curious to where she was going. 

"Heyman is paying us a lot of money to track her. Do you think she's dangerous?" Nikki usually was a good judge of character, but she found the purple-haired suspect a mystery. "She seems angry." 

Alexa wasn't sure what her opinion of Sasha was. If she put herself in the girl's shoes, then she could understand why Sasha would be angry about being framed. "I am not sure if I could handle somebody looking just like me and killing somebody I cared about. It sounds like a horror movie, except this is her life." 

"Where is she going? Her apartment isn't this way according to the file." Nikki said as Sasha turned down a back street and started heading out of town. 

"She could be making a run for it." Alexa wasn't sure but if Sasha did make a run for it, it would only make her seem more guilty. "She doesn't strike me as a runner." 

"I don't think she's running, doesn't her partner in the Fire Department live on a farm. It seems to me that, that is where she might be headed." Nikki commented after looking back at Sasha's file. She had to hand it to Paul Heyman the man was thorough with his research. 

Alexa's grip tightened on the wheel. She wasn't sure she could follow Sasha all the way to the farm without being suspicious seeing as that traffic was starting to thin. If Sasha was paying any attention at all, she would quickly notice that she was being followed. 

"We probably need to stop here," Alexa said pulling the car over. 

"I thought we were supposed to follow her?" Nikki questioned, giving Alexa a skeptical look. "Paul is paying us to follow her and keep her safe."

Sighing Alexa pointed to the address in the file. "I am aware of that fact Nikki, all I am saying, is that we at least give her a few minutes of a head start. We know where she's going and we can keep an eye on her from down the street. No need to blow our cover just yet." 

"You're right Lexie. Good thinking." Nikki settled back into her seat and took another picture of Sasha's car right before it disappeared behind a bend. "I have a feeling this case will be an interesting one." 

"It's definitely going to be something," Alexa muttered turning up the radio. As much as she loved and appreciated Nikki, she didn't feel much like talking. If Sasha did have an evil twin, then trailing her could put them all into some serious jeopardy.


	15. Hospital blues

_-At the hospital- _

Bayley felt like she hadn’t sat down in hours, there were so many different people coming into the hospital, and the doctor was exhausted. She had patched Liv up to the best of her abilities, pulling the bullet out of the mobster’s thigh. Then had almost immediately run to the next operating room to assist in treating Dolph Ziggler’s injuries. Sadly for Dolph, he hadn’t made it through the surgery and ended up dying on the table. 

It didn’t matter how many patients Bayley saw or tried to help, there were a lot of critically wounded. It was pretty demoralizing, but Bayley kept trying to help, she had sworn an oath to save people. 

She finally made her way downstairs to the cafeteria, needing to just take a couple of minutes for herself. She was exhausted, hungry and the fight with Sasha was still weighing heavily on her mind. All Bayley wanted to do was to cuddle with her best friend and call it a night, if anybody understood the stresses that she was going through it was going to be Sasha. 

Grabbing a sandwich and some chips, Bayley made her way to a table, collapsing into the seat. It was a good feeling to finally be off her feet. She began to eat her sandwich when out of the corner of her eye she saw somebody approaching her table. 

Becky Lynch was carrying a lunch tray of her own and nodded to the spot across from Bayley. “Can I sit with you?”

Bayley gave a small nod to her friend. “Yeah, go ahead and sit down. Just don’t ask me how anybody is doing, I don’t want to talk about it.” Bayley warned, before gesturing for the officer to take a seat. 

Becky nodded and took the seat across from her. The duo ate in silence for a while, which Bayley was grateful for. With all of the pressure that the doctor was under, she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. 

“Do you want a piece of pie? They gave me a lot. It’s cherry pie if that sweetens the deal.” Becky said, offering her friend half of the pie. 

“Sure, that would be nice,” Bayley said, taking the half. She began to eat, trying to focus on that rather than the anxiety that had taken root in her belly. “Today has been a hellish day.” 

Raising a brow, Becky grunted in agreement. “Yeah, it really has. My partner Finn and I have been trying to interview the victims of the gun battle. This town really is a mess, but we don’t have to talk about it.” 

“Sasha is mad at me because I told her to go home. I am torn because I don’t want to see her get hurt and I want to protect her. On the other hand, she has a crazy person after her and they might attack the hospital.” Bayley ran a hand through her hair, tugging at it in frustration. She wished that she could be in two places at once, she desperately wanted to protect Sasha but also aid the people at the hospital. Bayley ended up telling Becky everything that had happened with Mercedes, and how Sasha’s twin had attacked her and Shayna.

“If you want me to check on Sasha after my shift ends I can.” Becky offered, trying to help put her at ease. “She can stay with me, and I’ll try and keep her away from this Mercedes chick.” She felt bad for Bayley and Sasha, and she hadn’t forgotten that the two had been some of her only friends when she had gotten suspended from the police force. Becky felt a certain amount of loyalty to them. 

Bayley felt a sense of relief washing over her. “Actually that would mean a lot to me. I doubt she went home, she’s probably at Shayna’s farm, since Shayna isn’t there to take care of her animals. That would be a good place to look for her. Thank you, Becky.” Bayley said, giving her friend a grateful smile. 

“No problem, well I need to go check on my partner. But I’ll see you around and let you know when I meet up with Sasha.” Becky replied. She stood up from her seat and gave Bayley a warm hug, before leaving to go meet up with Finn and check on Ember. 

Bayley finished her sandwich and then decided to go check on Shayna. She still felt guilty, but if anybody else knew Sasha well, it was going to be Shayna. She knew that the two firefighters had a close bond. Bayley snagged a pack of cookies for her friend and then walked upstairs. 

Shayna was laying in her hospital bed and looked pretty uncomfortable. She had a massive gauze patch over her stab wounds but otherwise looked to be doing okay. Shayna was surprised to see Bayley, but her face did light up when she spotted the cookies. “You come bearing gifts?” 

Bayley nodded and opened the package, handing them over. “I do, I thought you deserved a little treat. How are you holding up?”

“I mean I was stabbed a whole bunch, so it doesn’t feel great. But I think I’ll survive.” Shayna said, shrugging weakly. She took the cookies and began to munch on them gratefully. “Where’s Sash, I am surprised she hasn’t come to visit me.” 

Bayley shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. “I told her that she needed to probably go home. I didn’t want her to upset you.” 

Shayna’s eyes narrowed and she tried to sit up in the bed. “I’m not mad at Sasha, it wasn’t her fault that her even doppelganger attacked us. She needs us, Bayley.” Shayna didn’t like the idea of her partner being out there by herself. They were a team and it made her feel sick to her stomach knowing that Sasha could be in danger. “You shouldn’t have sent her away.” 

“I know...I know.” Bayley buried her face in her hands and let out a heavy sigh. “Just seeing you bleeding out on the kitchen floor and the whole confrontation with Mercedes, I got spooked. I pushed Sasha away when I shouldn’t have. The past week has just been insane, there is just too much going on.” 

“In times of trouble Bayley, it’s important to have friends to lean on. Sasha’s probably just as freaked out as us. We need to be united.” Shayna warned, before wincing as pain shot through her abdomen. “Lord help Mercedes when I get my hands on her. It’s one thing to attack me, but attacking you and Sasha, I won’t stand for that.” 

Bayley could see the truth in Shayna’s words. Shayna had always been a tough cookie, and that was why Bayley appreciated Sasha’s partner so much. “I’ve already sent somebody to check on Sasha, but when I finally get to go home, I’ll make things right with her,” Bayley promised.

“What else is going on?” Shayna asked curiously. 

“Well the gang war has officially started and there are tons of trauma injuries and fires. This city is going to become a war zone if we aren’t careful. We’ll end up running out of hospital beds.” Bayley explained, trying to detail to the firefighter what had gone down between the Riott Squad and the NXT gang.

“Holy crap, it sounds like things are going to hell. Well, hopefully, I can get released sooner rather than later and free up a bed.” Shayna was still in a lot of pain, but she wanted to put the needs of the public before herself. 

“For here now just stay and rest Baszler, you’re of better use to us if you’re safe and healthy. I don’t really want you out there, hurt and alone with Mercedes running around.” Bayley was honestly terrified of Sasha’s twin. That crazy woman was pure evil, and Bayley didn’t want to see anybody else she cared about to get hurt. 

\----  
_  
-A couple of hospital rooms over- _

Finn Balor sat in an uncomfortable chair by Ember Moon’s bed. His gaze was soft as he kept watch over his fellow officer. Finn had always wanted to do undercover work but his accent would have been a dead give away, and the Police chief had basically told him no. He could see why Ember had been selected, the few times he had seen her around the station she was clearly well respected. 

He wasn’t sure if a gang war was going to carry over to the hospital, but he was staying close to her just in case. Finn carried a measure of guilt inside of him for almost ruining her undercover operation last time. If anybody else asked, he was going to say he was here because she was wanted in questioning for a case. Truthfully Finn just wanted to protect her. 

There was a knock on the door and Finn rose quickly to his feet, his hand on the butt of his service weapon. “Who is it?” 

“Just me,” Becky said, slowly entered the room and brushed past Finn. She tossed him a bag of hot Cheetos and then nodded to Ember. “How is she doing?” 

“The nurses said her burns were pretty severe, she’ll probably have to stay here a while,” Finn said, flinching as he remembered the way it had smelled when Ember had gotten into his car. “She’ll have a long road to recovery.” 

Becky nodded and took the seat he had vacated and studied Ember. “I have to say, I really misjudged her. She’s pretty amazing, she fell into a dumpster while on fire, and still managed to make her way out. She has killer survival instincts.” 

Ember’s heart monitor began to beat more rapidly as the undercover cop began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open, and she let out a pained whimper as her attention landed on Finn. “Ow…”

“That’s usually my reaction when I see Finn too.” Becky quipped, before standing up and pour Ember a glass of water. She moved to her bedside to help the girl drink. 

Finn shot Becky a dirty look, before turning to Ember. “How is your pain, do you want me to get a nurse?” 

Ember winced and focused on Finn, having to grit her teeth. “Nurse.” She said with a small nod. Her right arm was bandaged heavily as was the left side of her torso. 

“I’ll get you the nurse, Finn, why don’t you stay here with Ember. I think Detectives Mizanin and Cena will be on their way soon, so I’m going to head out?” Becky waited until he gave the nod, before leaving to go get the nurse for Ember.

“Is she always such a handful?” Ember asked, her voice quaking. She still didn’t like Becky but she was thankful for the younger officer saving her life. 

Finn chuckled. “You have no idea.” He hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch her left hand. “You were amazing out there… I am glad you’re okay.” Finn whispered quietly. 

Ember blushed just a little. “Yeah, thanks.” She said, slowly pulling her hand away, turning her attention to the nurse as she entered. 

\-----

_-At Shayna Baszler’s Farm- _

Sasha was sulking, that was the only way to describe it. She was doing Shayna’s dirty dishes, trying to clean up for her friend so that when Shayna got home from the hospital her house would be clean. 

The firefighter was so distracted by doing the dishes that she hadn’t noticed Shayna’s dog Isis had stopped barking. Sasha was setting a bowl to dry on the rack when she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her. 

“You’re not an easy person to track down Sasha.” 

A chill ran up Sasha’s spine and she slowly glanced over her shoulder. Aside from the fact that Mercedes had blue hair instead of purple, they were pretty much identical. Sasha’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Mercedes holding what looked to be a tranquilizer gun. 

“What do you want?” Sasha asked, thankful that there was a kitchen island between them. It wouldn’t do much to protect from the gun, but she wanted to keep as much distance between them as she could. 

“What do I want?” Mercedes let out a sinister laugh, one that Sasha knew would haunt her dreams. “I want to know what makes you tick. I told your little friend that I planned to take over your life. She pointed out some flaws in my plan so I got to thinking, what if I just kidnapped you. I leave your pathetic friends a little note, saying that you just can’t take it anymore and then we leave town. Maybe we could be a family.” Mercedes mused, stepping towards Sasha. 

Sasha flinched back, grabbing a butcher knife from the sink and holding it in front of herself. “Stay away from me and my friends.” 

A dark look entered Mercedes’ eyes. “Put the knife down, before you make me angry Sasha. I am trying to be nice. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” 

“You killed Tamina, you tried to kill Shayna and Bayley.” Sasha pointed out, still keeping the knife between them. 

“Because they were in the way. Why should they get a relationship with you, when I’ve been denied. We’re two halves of a whole, what could they know about that?” Mercedes screamed, leveling her gun at Sasha. “I said put the knife down!” 

Sasha slowly lowered the knife and set it down on the counter. “Okay, okay you win. You didn’t have to kill Tamina or hurt my friends. I would have loved to know you.” Sasha said, trying to keep her tone calm. She was subtly looking for a way out, anything that could keep her from Mercedes’ rage. 

“You’re lying! I don’t like to be lied to.” Mercedes was growing increasingly agitated and unhinged. “Mother always told me I had to be perfect. She pushed and she pushed, I was alone in an ivory tower waiting for somebody that never came. I found out I had a sister and finally, I felt whole, but then it was ruined! How dare you be happy, while I’ve done nothing but suffer.” 

That just pissed Sasha off. “Happy? Do you think my life has been happy? I had to scratch and claw for everything I wanted. Whatever happiness I have, I earned it. I grew up poor, but I made something out of myself.” Sasha replied, furious that her evil twin was insulting her. “You’re delusional.” 

“Shut up!” Mercedes growled, shaking with rage as she tried to fire a dart at Sasha. Sasha flinched, barely moving out of the way. She grabbed a mixer bowl and made a run for it, hoping she could get away before Mercedes caught up. 

Sasha burst out into the blinding sunlight, trying to shield her eyes from the bright light as she ran. She made a run for Shayna’s truck but realized she had left the keys in the house. She glanced around trying to think of where she should run too, so she could hide. Sasha started to run towards the barn when she was shoe-lace tackled from behind. 

Mercedes was on her in an instant, an enraged look in her eyes as she turned Sasha over. She began throwing a bunch of haymakers as she straddled Sasha’s stomach. “I am going to enjoy this!” She mused wrapping her hands around Sasha’s throat and beginning to squeeze. 

Sasha clawed at her sister’s wrists, trying to free herself but to no avail. “Please don’t.” She choked out gasping for air. The edges of her vision were starting to go dark and it scared Sasha deeply. 

Then a resounding clang echoed, the sound of metal meeting flesh. All at once, Mercedes stiffened, her hands loosening around Sasha’s throat, as she collapsed to the side. As Sasha’s vision came into focus she saw a blonde girl holding a shovel. 

“Alexa?” Sasha asked, coughing as she tried to get air into her lungs. She had seen the PI around town, but usually Alexa and she avoided each other. They didn’t tend to get along too well. 

Alexa wore a look of concern as she glanced at Mercedes who lay unconscious and bleeding next to Sasha. “Come on, Nikki help me get her up.” Alexa snapped to her associate. 

Nikki and Alexa each grabbed an arm and dragged Sasha to her feet. “We gotta go, she won’t be down for long,” Nikki said. The three began to make their way towards the winding driveway of the farm. 

“What are you guys doing here?” Sasha asked, in between bouts of coughing. She was thankful for the assist but confused as to why they had shown up out of nowhere. 

“Paul Heyman paid us to keep an eye on you and protect you from that psycho over there,” Alexa explained, casting a wary glance over at her shoulder. Mercedes was still down, but she didn’t know if a shovel to the back of the head would keep her down or not. A tiny piece of Alexa was worried about the possibility that she had just killed somebody. "I think it's a good thing we showed up when we did. She was about to kill you." 

"Yeah, I kind of noticed when she had her hands around my throat." Sasha deadpanned, though she was grateful the petite blonde had saved her life. 

A car came speeding towards them and Alexa flinched, ready to shove Sasha and Nikki out of the way, but the car stopped mere inches from them. Becky Lynch hopped out of the car and drew her gun. 

“Get in the car,” Becky said, moving to stand protectively in front of them. She saw Mercedes in the distance slowly stirring. She was torn between trying to arrest the crazy woman and getting Sasha and the others to safety. “Freeze!” 

Mercedes slowly got to her feet, staggering for a second before her ice-cold eyes locked onto Becky’s. Becky had met a lot of criminals but none of them had the cold dead eyes that Mercedes had, it was always terrifying. 

“I said freeze, hands on your head,” Becky demanded again, she was far enough away that she wasn’t sure she could catch Mercedes before the woman made it in the house. 

“Let’s go!” Alexa called from behind Becky. “Leave it, we need to get out of here.” Grabbing the officer’s arm she tried to drag her back towards the car. 

Mercedes picked up the shovel Alexa had dropped after hitting her and growled as she watched Becky slowly retreat into the car and drive away with Sasha, Nikki, and Alexa. “This isn’t over!”


	16. And so the wheel of chaos keeps spinning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby Riott plots her revenge on the NXT gang, while also offering Dr. Bayley some protection. Sasha struggles with the fallout of her sister's attack.

Ruby Riott had never been the type of woman to let an injury hold her back. She had grown up in the criminal lifestyle, she had been jumped countless times, and shot more than once. So dealing with a bullet wound wasn’t anything new to the mafia leader. She had lost more friends through the years than she dared to count, but something had snapped inside of her when she saw what the NXT gang had done to her friends. Sarah and Liv were obviously the closest to her, but Hanson had been a dear friend. He hadn’t deserved to go out like that and it infuriated her. She was going to find a way to avenge him, she just needed a better plan. 

Ruby sat at a table in the Undertaker’s bar, stewing in her anger. She had already drunk a couple of shots, but her rage was still simmering. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get even with NXT, but now more than ever she knew she would need allies. She had taken a measure of revenge by killing Bobby Fish and she hoped that it sincerely hurt Adam Cole to his core. If she ever saw the leader of NXT, she was going to put a bullet in his skull as well. 

“When you asked to meet me, I thought you were joking.” Paul Heyman said as he slid into the seat across from her. The lawyer looked unusually disheveled but still wore a cocky smile. He was a shark when it came to the courtroom, but even he didn't want to get on Ruby's bad side, lest she gets the idea to send Liv Morgan after him. 

“I don’t joke about a lot Paul.” Ruby stared him down, before clearing her throat. “I need a favor.” 

“You have been needing a lot of favors lately. It seems being your friend puts a target on my back.” Paul pointed out, but he made no effort to leave. He just sat there, clearly waiting to see what favor the Mafia boss wanted from him that particular day. “So quite frankly I am curious to know what I can do for you Ms. Riott.” 

Ruby pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. “Being my friend might be dangerous right now, but believe me when I say you don’t want to be my enemy either. I need you to track down a few of your old friends. The Extreme Originals.” 

Paul Heyman looked like he had seen a ghost. “Are you sure that’s a good idea to bring them to town? Dreamer and Sandman, in particular, have been out of the game a while.” 

“Tell them that if they help me, I will give them NXT’s territory. I didn’t want a gang war, but now one has come to my front door. I am going to crush my enemies Heyman because when I win, there will be riots.” Ruby said ominously. She wasn’t afraid to turn her crew loose on the people who got in her way. 

“Look, I will put out some feelers and see if they want to help you, but don’t hold your breath. Besides I am currently trying to work out the last errand you had me on. My new client seems to be a magnet for trouble.” Paul wasn’t sure how he was going to keep Sasha Banks alive when the universe was apparently against her. 

Ruby just looked amused. “We are all magnets for trouble Mr. Heyman. Now feel free to have a drink, you can put it on my tab. I have a doctor to go see.” Ruby said, rubbing her sore shoulder. The bullet wound was stitched up, but it was still painful and she wanted to go to the hospital to check on her allies and Bayley. 

\---

Becky had been silent for a long time, too focused on driving to get away from Shayna’s house and the homicidal maniac. She glanced in the rearview mirror at the three women squished in the back seat of her car. 

“That was insane.” Becky finally said. 

Sasha let out a nervous chuckle, but it was clear by the look on her face that she was struggling to keep it together. She had seen a lot of crazy things as a firefighter, but she hadn’t expected to be attacked by her sister. 

“Officer, could you please drop me and Ms. Cross at my PI firm?” Alexa asked. She was feeling a little rattled herself, but she didn’t want to lose her cool in front of Sasha. 

Becky slowly shook her head. “No, I can’t do that. I have to take you to the police station and fill out a report. Maybe if all three of you report what you saw, I can get a protective detail assigned.” 

“I am not sure they could do much against Mercedes. If she wants us dead she’ll find a different way.” Sasha said glumly. She wasn’t sure if there was a safe place in all of Pembroke Pines that Mercedes wouldn’t be able to get to them at. Her face still hurt from all the punches her twin had thrown and there was no doubt she’d have bruises around her neck.

As much as Sasha and Alexa didn’t really like each other, Sasha was grateful that the blonde had shown up, but she was curious as to know why the blonde had been at Shayna’s farm. “Thank you for saving me, Bliss. Tell me something, how did you know I was in trouble?” 

Alexa shifted uncomfortably in the back seat, not used to getting praise from somebody like Sasha. “I was given a job to follow you. An associate of yours felt it was in your best interest to have an ally nearby.” 

A weird emotion flickered through Sasha’s gaze. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, she was starting to feel tired. The past few days were weighting on her as was her fight with Bayley. “Well tell Heyman, I am thankful for the assist.” Sasha wasn’t sure why her lawyer really cared about her well being, but she assumed he was only doing it for the Riott Squad. It was still unsettling that Bayley had any sort of connection with the mob. 

“We all have to go to the police station?” Nikki asked sullenly. She really did like police stations all that much. 

Becky nodded at them. “As soon as we get your statements you can go, but I’d advise you all to stick close and take the offered protection.” 

“It’ll be hard to do our jobs as PIs if we have people tailing us.” Alexa pointed out. She looked to Nikki, the two private investigators having a conversation with just their eyes. “We’ll give you our statement, but then we’re leaving.” 

“Whatever it’s your life that you’re putting at risk,” Becky said with a shrug. She wasn’t going to force them to stay safe, but the officer was hoping that they’d come to their senses. She watched Sasha for a moment before focusing back on the road. “So you really do have an evil twin, did she tell you anything important?”

“Just that I offended her by having what she feels was a better life. It’d be cooler to have a twin sister if she wasn’t a psychopath.” Sasha let out a shudder. She didn’t want anything to do with the other woman, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see her die. “Mercedes needs help, like actual psychological help. I hope she gets it.” 

“The crazy that is in your sister only has one ending. A bullet through the skull.” Nikki wasn’t terrified of much, but even she didn’t want to tangle with Mercedes again. 

“She needs to pay for what she did, but she’s sick. Something’s snapped inside of her, she just needs a doctor.” Sasha protested.

Alexa scoffed. “You’re defending the woman who just tried to strangle you to death? Unbelievable.” The blonde muttered, clearly not happy with Sasha’s words. 

Slamming her fist on the wheel, Becky blared the car’s horn, mainly to stop the fight that was brewing. “Look, the police will capture Mercedes, sooner rather than later. Just try to keep your heads down, we don’t need you all to become bigger targets.”

“Too late for that, Sasha’s evil twin is obsessed with her,” Alexa growled. 

Becky rolled her eyes, she could already tell that the three women in the back of her squad car were going to be a handful. She liked Sasha, mainly because the girl had been kind to her in the past, but apparently Alexa managed to bring out Sasha’s snarky side. 

“Stop fighting, you’re giving me a headache.” Becky snapped as she pulled into the police station parking lot. “Let’s just get this over with.” 

\-----

Bayley was doing her rounds and checking on Liv Morgan when her phone rang. Liv's eyes narrowed as she watched the doctor pick up the phone. Bayley didn't much care for the way her patient was studying her like she was prey, so she moved outside of Liv's door to take the call. 

"What's going on Sasha?" Bayley asked, keeping her tone soft this time. She knew Sasha might still be angry about Bayley sending her away earlier. "Are you okay?" 

"No, I am not okay. I am at the police station, Mercedes attacked me." Sasha said, her voice quivering in a way that made Bayley feel sick to her stomach. 

Bayley took a deep breath. "Are you hurt, did she do anything to you?" 

There was a pause as Sasha adjusted the phone. "Look I don't have much time to talk, I have to answer the officers' questions. I only was calling to tell you I was okay, I didn't want you to hear about the attack from somebody else. Becky let me use her phone."

"Are you hurt?" Bayley asked again, noting that Sasha had ignored her question. 

"I don't think it's safe for me in town anymore Bayley. Me being here is bad for everybody, isn't that what you said? Maybe if I leave, Mercedes will follow me and stop hurting the people I care about." Sasha sounded more defeated than Bayley had ever heard her. 

"Don't make any drastic decisions Sasha. We can figure this out, I'll come to see you after my shift." Bayley promised, almost pleading with Sasha. 

Sasha let out a sad laugh. "I am not sure you could talk me out of this one Bayley. I need to go, stay safe okay?" Sasha said, hanging up on Bayley. 

For a moment all Bayley wanted to do was chuck her phone against the wall in frustration. She didn't want her best friend to leave, especially when things so weird between them. Sasha's solution of tucking tail and running bothered Bayley deeply but she could understand why Sasha wanted to do it. 

"Trouble in paradise?"

Bayley spun and found herself staring into the eyes of Ruby Riott. "Now is really not a good time." 

Ruby chuckled under her breath. "Would you believe it if I told you I'm not here to see you. I'm here to see Liv and the rest of my...friends." 

Bayley snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "You didn't bring any weapons in here did you?"

"No listen here side-pony, you keep insulting me and I'm gonna get mad. I did you a favor with Heyman." Ruby warned, she didn't have much patience for being pushed around. "I like you, so knock off the attitude. Now, tell me, how is Liv doing?" 

There was a split second that defiance flared to life in Bayley's chest, but she squashed it down. "Liv will be fine, she should probably still stay off her leg for a while so she doesn't tear her stitches, but she'll live." 

"Glad to hear it," Ruby said wincing as she extended her hand to shake Bayley's.

Bayley rolled her eyes and shook Ruby's hand, before sighing. "What did you do to your shoulder?" 

"Got some lead pumped into it." Ruby snapped, though her words died on her lips as Bayley yanked her forward. Ruby let out a low growl, her eyes narrowing. "What in the he-"

"Shut up and let me see!" Bayley retorted, shoving the mafia boss roughly into Liv's room. "Take off your shirt."

"Maybe if you ask nicely," Ruby growled, before removing her shirt. She glanced over to Liv and gave a small smile to her friend. "You look like crap."

Liv giggled softly. "Hey Rue-Rue, love you too. Did you bring the stuff?" 

Ruby nodded and pulled a small lunch sack from her back pocket tossing it with her good hand to Liv. She saw the dirty look Bayley was giving her and rolled her eyes. "Relax doc, it's jolly ranchers. Liv has a sugar addiction." 

Bayley prodded at Ruby's collarbone, noting that the stitches looked a little inflamed. "You guys are going to get me in trouble." She muttered as she set about trying to fix the woman's injury. 

"Well, you could always work for us," Liv called as she unwrapped her candy. 

"With all due respect, no thank you. I've had my fill of violence lately." Bayley said as she filled them in on what was happening with Mercedes.

"I can't have my doctor getting distracted. I'll see about having some of my men protect you." Ruby said, hissing in pain as Bayley restitched the wound. "Maybe we can find a way to work together." 

Bayley wasn't certain that was the best course of action, but she was too tired to argue at the moment. She just wanted to find a nice safe place and curl up to sleep, however as soon as her shift ended she also needed to go find Sasha. "I'll think about it and get back to you." She said, hoping that it would buy her some time. She really didn't want to piss of Ruby or Liv, even injured they were both dangerous.


	17. 16. On the run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam Cole is not happy with the way the Australians are treating him and he wants revenge against Ruby for killing Bobby. Sasha is trying to run away, but a friend seeks to stop her. Alexa is now worried that Sasha's evil twin is after her.

_-At the Australian Outback Hotel and Casino- _

Adam Cole was fuming, rage boiling up inside the mafia leader, so close to the surface that he felt like exploding. He hadn't felt this angry in a long time and it was threatening to overwhelm him. Ruby Riott and her pathetic gang of misfits were going to pay for killing Bobby Fish. Adam had been the one to find Bobby’s body with a bullet in his head, his best friend murdered at the hand of Ruby Riott herself. Adam slammed his fist down so hard on the conference table, that it drew the attention of his allies. The Australians had summoned him to the meeting like he was some kind of dog and he wasn't happy about it.

“Mr. Cole, we understand your frustration, but we need to focus on the bigger picture,” Emma said as she reclined back in her seat. Emma’s associates Billie, Peyton, Toni, and Rhea had all joined them at the table. Buddy Murphy and Pete Dunne however were busy trying to clean up the fallout from the botched attempt on the Riott Squad. 

“The bigger picture? I just lost my childhood best friend and you want me to calm down and focus on the bigger picture?” Adam asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Are you serious right now?”

“Yes, I am very serious!” Emma stared at him sharply, daring him to keep trying her patience. She wasn’t about to allow Adam to push her around, and if he thought he could, he had another thing coming. “I am sorry for your loss Mr. Cole, but we have all lost people today. Now get a hold of yourself, or leave.” 

The leader of the NXT gang grew quiet, he couldn’t leave the safety of the Australian Outback Hotel and Casino right now. It would end up being a suicide mission because no doubt Ruby Riott would have sent her minions out looking for him. As angry as he was, he couldn't afford to be reckless.

Once Emma was sure that Adam had ceased his hissy fit, she steepled her fingers together. “Your attack was not the decisive win we thought it would be. However, I think I know of somebody we could call in, a group called Imperium. They are professionals, a small group, but effective.” She stated clinically. 

Adam snorted in contempt. He had heard of Imperium, he wasn’t sure if they were as great as Emma seemed to believe they are. “Those lackwits couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag.” 

Emma’s eyes flashed darkly. “Need I remind you, that you are the one who needs us, Mr. Cole. My associates and I certainly do not need you.” She warned. 

Adam looked as though he had sucked on a sour lemon, but for once kept his mouth shut. He was irritated about how the attack had gone down. He thought that he would have wiped any trace of the Riott Squad out of Pembroke Pines, but it seemed he had underestimated his enemies. 

“I think our next step should be attacking the hospital where Riott has her people recovering.” Peyton Royce said looking to Emma. 

“You gotta be joking me mate, that’s a horrible idea. Attacking a hospital is only going to paint a larger target on our backs.” Billie chided, shaking her head. “We do need to do something.” 

Emma pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering if all of her allies were this incompetent. “Right now we need to lay low and expect a reprisal from Ruby Riott. We should double our security around the hotel, we don’t want to let in any rift-raft.” She looked to Adam now, studying him with a thoughtful expression. “Invite what remains of your crew, perhaps we can use their services now. It gets them off the street and it allows me to protect my business.” 

Adam looked like he wanted to protest, but he seemed to think better of it. “I’ll get on it.” He said, getting to his feet. Someway, somehow, he was going to make Ruby Riott pay for Bobby Fish’s death. Living the life of violence that they did, life expectancy wasn’t that long, and yet somehow Adam had thought that Bobby would have been a guy who could live forever. 

Adam’s hand was just brushing the handle to the door when Emma cleared her throat from behind him. “Maybe you should take Ripley and Storm with you. I know you’ve lost a lot of people, you could use the protection.” 

If ever there was a powerplay this was it and it only pissed him off. The leader of NXT’s gang did not appreciate the insinuation that he couldn’t handle things or that he needed two girls to protect him. Adam was angry that she was trying to mock him, it felt like she was kicking him while he was down and he wouldn’t forget it. 

“As you wish,” Adam remarked, keeping his voice low so she wouldn’t hear the rage simmering under the surface. He didn't want to admit that having some back up did make him feel better. One day very soon, he would remind the Australians of why this was a mutual partnership and not a one-sided affair.

\-----

-At Sasha’s apartment-

Sasha carefully clicked the lock on her suitcase and sighed heavily, taking one last look around her apartment. She had packed in a hurry, trying to gather what she felt was the most important. The room looked like it had been thoroughly ransacked. “I guess this is it, Ryu.” She said looking down at her dog. “We need to leave Pembroke Pines.” 

It wasn’t that Sasha wanted to leave, her whole life, and all of her friends were in the city. Yet, the idea of putting them into more danger didn’t sit well with her. Mercedes was just going to keep coming after her, and Sasha didn’t want to risk having Bayley or anybody else she cared about hurt. Maybe if Sasha went away and Mercedes followed, she could find a way to get her sister some help.

“Running away isn’t going to solve anything lass.” 

Sasha spun around, fist balled at her side until she realized it was Becky who was at her door and not Mercedes or another threat. “Why are you here Becky?”

“Bayley called me and told me you were ditching town, she asked me to talk some sense into you. If you leave they’ll revoke your bail, it’s not going to end well Sasha.” Becky didn’t want Sasha getting hurt, she actually liked the woman. “You will have to be on the run for the rest of your life, and Mercedes is going to be the least of your worries. Don’t you want to see justice for Tamina?” 

The look that Sasha gave Becky, was one that would have had most people pushing up daisies. “Don’t say Tamina’s name. The police department in Pembroke Pines is flawed and no doubt has more than a little corruption. There is no justice in this town Becky, and you’re delusional if you think there is. I’ll take my chances out on the road, I’m doing what I have to, to protect the people I care about.” 

“So you’re going to leave Bayley and Shayna just like that?” Becky asked, sounding confused and a bit stunned. She didn't know much about Sasha, but from what she had gathered both Bayley and Sasha were two of the most important people to her. 

“It’s for the best, are you going to try and stop me?” Sasha asked, wondering if she was going to have to fight past Becky. 

Becky deflated and shook her head moving to the side. “No, I won’t stop you, Sasha. Just be safe okay, keep your head down?” Becky looked away, trying not to flinch as Sasha brushed past her. She wanted to point out that if Sasha left, she’d be alone but she had a feeling the firefighter already knew that. 

Sasha scooped up Ryu and forced herself to walk to her car. She didn’t want to look back, she knew if she did, then she’d lose her nerve. She was trying to remember that she was doing this for Bayley. Sasha had to put the people she cared about first, she just hoped that it would be enough to lure Mercedes away from Pembroke Pines. For a second she thought about leaving Ryu with Bayley, but then decided it would keep her saner if she had Ryu with her. He was going to have to be her only friend for a while. 

Becky watched her go, a look of disappointment present on her face. She knew that Bayley was going to be upset, but Becky didn't think it was really her place to get involved in whatever drama they had going on. She had tried to stop Sasha, but apart from physically stopping her, Becky wasn't sure words were going to work. It was more than apparent that the firefighter had made up her mind. 

\----

-At the Police Station-

“Everything better be in here,” Alexa muttered as she rifled through her belongings. A part of the blonde didn't trust the booking clerk not to take something from her out of spite. Alexa had been a bit of a thorn in their side due to her PI work, but it wasn't her fault that they held a grudge. 

She had always hated going to police stations. Her mom had told her in another life she would have made a great officer, but Alexa couldn’t stomach it. All she wanted to do was be a good private investigator. She preferred watching people from a distance and taking sneaky photos to catch cheating husbands, over being in charge of trying to keep the peace. Besides she had grown up in Pembroke Pines, she knew the place was sketchy and corrupt. 

“Are you leaving already, and we were just starting to have fun,” Finn said sarcastically. Unfortunately for him, he had been left to handle interviewing both Alexa and Nikki, which hadn't been easy. They had seemed to make a game of trying his patience when all he wanted to do was understand what had happened at the Baszler farmhouse. He wasn’t sure why Becky had left him to deal with Nikki and Alexa. His partner had made up some excuse about needing to take an hour or two for personal business. It kind of irritated him that she had just run out, leaving him to take both of the remaining statements. He was starting to believe that maybe Sasha Banks did have an evil twin, even if it did sound more than a little crazy. 

Groaning loudly, Alexa leveled Finn with a nasty glare and rolled her eyes. “I just want to go home. I am not getting paid enough to put my life in danger with a psychopath.” Alexa snapped in frustration. She didn’t care how much she was being paid, it wasn’t like she even liked Sasha in the first place. Her and the firefighter had never been on the right foot and generally tried to avoid each other if at all possible. 

“Aren’t you worried that this Mercedes lady might come after you? You prevented her from getting her revenge on Sasha…” Finn was kind of curious about what the diminutive woman had in mind. If she was going to be brave and face the threats head-on or if she was going to want a police presence outside her house. 

A chill ran up the back of Alexa’s spine. “What, no I’m not worried.” She lied, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t going to admit her fears. The thought hadn’t actually occurred to her that Mercedes would now be coming after her for helping Sasha. 

“Well, I could have a patrol car outside your house.” Finn offered, trying to be helpful but Alexa didn’t seem to want his help. 

“That would totally not be suspicious. I might as well hang a big flashing sign over my head to tell her where I am.” Alexa snorted, shaking her head. Her best bet was to probably call Drew and ask if she could stay over at his house for the night. He’d keep her safe. 

Finn frowned, his eyes narrowing as he studied Alexa. He knew she was being sarcastic to mask the fact that she was just scared. “Fine, suit yourself.” He said with a shrug. 

Alexa met his gaze dead on and then just walked past him. She wasn’t sure where Nikki was, but she placed a call to Drew, hoping that he could come to pick her up. Her car was still back up towards Baszler’s house and she didn’t want to risk trying to go get it by herself. Thankfully her associate picked up right away and agreed to come and get her. It seemed to put Alexa a little more at ease. She doubted anybody would pick a fight with her, if she had Drew nearby.


	18. I can't believe she's gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlotte is starting to realize she can't trust the police force. Bayley has to come to terms with Sasha leaving. Ruby makes strange bedfellows.

-At Charlotte's Office-

Charlotte steepled her fingers as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the Police chief across on the other side of the desk. She called him to her office, as a sort of power move. To say she was less than thrilled with his performance was an understatement. She had expected him to provide results, but it seemed he had been slipping

“Do you care to explain to me why my city is becoming a war zone? I thought you and your police force had a handle on these things?” Charlotte’s voice was icy and cold, she was downright furious. 

Hunter leaned back in his own chair and gritted his teeth. “We would have had eyes on the situation, but we had other pressing matters lately. Namely a serial arsonist and the fact that your nephew got kidnapped. Our attention wasn’t on the gangs.” 

“Well, maybe it should have been.” Charlotte snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. “Are you incapable of multitasking? You have a whole department full of officers but it seems to me that they’re incompetent.” 

Hunter’s eyes darkened and he gripped the armrests of his seat. “I am perfectly capable of multitasking. Look Madame Mayor, with all due respect, stick to managing the town and leave the policing to us. I would hate for you to stick your nose into something and get hurt.” 

“Is that a threat?” Charlotte asked, arching a brow. She really couldn't believe the audacity of the man in front of her.

“No, of course not. It’s a warning that there is a full-fledged gang war going on, and I’d really hate for you to get hurt. I mean if you think we’re inadequate at protecting the city, you wouldn’t want to put yourself at risk.” Hunter replied, though there was an underlying hint of malice. He had put up with a lot of Charlotte’s crap because of who her father was, but she was starting to push him a little too far. 

Charlotte let out a heavy sigh. “I can take care of myself Chief. Now do us all a favor and put out this gang war.” She said dismissively. She had a sort of alliance with the Riott Squad and then being attacked simply wasn’t going to do. 

“I would like to offer you a word of advice Madame Mayor,” Hunter said as he slowly got his feet. The air in the room had seemed to drop a couple of degrees.

“And what would that be?” Charlotte asked, folding her arms across her chest. 

Hunter let out a low chuckle. “I would advise you to be careful who you cast your lot in with. There are a lot of ambitious people in this town, a lot of people who’d be willing to step on you just as soon as they would help you. Remember who your real friends are.” He said, before walking towards the door, his words still ringing in her ears. 

A scowled etched its way across Charlotte’s face. She didn’t care much for the way he was threatening her. She knew she would need to eventually set up a meeting with the Riott Squad, and make sure they were still on the same page. If Hunter continued to be a problem, then she’d have him taken out. It’s exactly what her father would have done and he had been the dirtiest player in the politicking game. 

\-----  
\- At Sasha's Apartment-

Bayley felt dead on her feet as she slowly trudged towards Sasha’s apartment. Her heart was in her throat, but she needed to see for herself that Sasha was actually gone. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that Sasha would just turn tail and leave her. She had driven over to Sasha's place as soon as she could get out of work. Her gut was telling her that she was too late, however. 

A piece of Bayley’s soul felt like it was freezing inside of her. The frozen weight of it, making each step toward Sasha’s now-empty apartment, felt like a never-ending journey. Bayley felt like she was stuck on a rollercoaster ride that she didn’t want to be on, but no matter how much she tried she couldn’t get off of the ride. 

She let herself into Sasha’s apartment and just took a ragged breath. The apartment looked like a whirlwind had gone through it. It was clear Sasha had only packaged what she could carry or cram into her duffle bags. Most of the pictures Sasha cherished were still pinned up to the wall and fridge, except for the one that hung in the center. It was a dorky picture of them around Christmas time. Apparently Sasha had felt like she needed to take that one. 

Bayley felt like she was going to throw up. She hated Mercedes for forcing Sasha to leave. She hated herself for not being able to be enough to make Sasha stay. Bayley regretted telling Sasha to leave the hospital, maybe if she had been softer than they wouldn’t be in this mess and Sasha would have still been in Pembroke Pines. 

A noise from Sasha’s bedroom caught Bayley’s attention. Despite knowing the truth, hope surged in Bayley’s gut as she made her way towards the room. 

“Sasha?” Bayley called out hopeful, despite herself. Was it possible that the firefighter had changed her mind and come back? Was it Mercedes trying to figure out where Sasha had gone. Bayley’s hand grasped the doorknob, but the door quickly opened, and Bayley’s heart once again sank. 

“Sorry Lass, she’s gone,” Becky said emerging from the bedroom, the officer sounded almost remorseful for having to be the one to inform Bayley. She gave Bayley a sympathetic look. “I was just trying to straighten up for her. She’s on the run and I wanted to make sure she had a good enough headstart. Between the cops and Mercedes, she’ll have to lay low.” 

“I can’t believe she really left.” Bayley felt her knees start to shake and she slowly slid to the ground. Exhaustion from her hospital shift had gotten the best of her, her best friend leaving without a goodbye stole whatever energy she had left. 

Becky frowned and knelt down to Bayley on the ground. She hesitated but slowly wrapped her arms around the doctor and held her tight. She could feel Bayley shattering against her, but she didn’t say anything, even as her Bayley soaked her shirt with her tears. Becky just let her cry and tried to whisper soft words of encouragement to her.

"I don't know what to do now." It was all starting to hit Bayley at once. She had forced herself on autopilot after the attack on Shayna and the run-in with Mercedes. But now Sasha was gone and with her a piece of Bayley's heart and soul. 

"We will figure it out. You just need to put one foot in front of the other, it's all you can do." Becky said softly. She just hugged Bayley tighter and let her cry, not knowing how else to comfort her.

\-----  
\- At the laundry mat downtown-

Ruby Riott lit a cigarette, taking a long drag off of it. If anything it was to calm the mob boss' nerves. Thanks to NXT's attack on their headquarters, Ruby was having to hold the meeting with her associates on the opposite side of town. It was in an old-timey looking laundry mat. The hum and whir of the washers and dryers seemed to be keeping a steady beat. 

"Those will kill ya, you know," Liv commented. Despite having been wounded, Liv had insisted on leaving the hospital as soon as humanly possible. She wanted to be at Ruby's side for the meeting. She hadn't been the only one, both Sarah and Rowe were at Ruby's side as well. They were guarding the entrance to her office, a sort of welcome wagon. 

Ruby let out a breathless chuckle and shrugged. "We all have our times to die Liv. I doubt this will be the thing that does me in." She muttered, taking another long drag.

Liv frowned at her, the wildcard member of her gang plucked the cigarette from Ruby's mouth, took a drag from it, and then stamped it out. "Remember who you are Rue."

"I know who I am, I just don't like being caught sleeping like we were with NXT." Ruby had lost a lot of people on her rise to the top, but she was also the type of woman who took care of people's families. Loyalty was rewarded, she tended to surround herself with like-minded people. To lose any of her circle was a heavy loss.

Liv placed a hand on her shoulder, watching as Ruby seemed to tense in pain. "You learn from those mistakes. That's why we're meeting with the ECW Originals. We'll remind NXT and those stupid Aussies who they're messing with."

The blonde had been doing some research as she recovered, she had contacts outside of the Riott Squad, and it had led her to the realization that NXT had been receiving backing from the Australian Outback. Now that they knew where their adversaries were congregating, Liv was putting into motion some plans to get revenge. 

The door to Ruby's office swung open, revealing Sarah. The enforcer looked a little worse for wear, her face covered in multiple lacerations from the fight at the docks. "The ECW people are here." 

Ruby simply nodded slowly. "Go ahead and send them in." 

Liv moved to take up position behind Ruby's chair, her eyes sparkling with a wild sort of mischief. Ruby had always wondered what Liv thought about to get that crazy look in her eyes, but she knew better than to ask. Most likely it was better that she didn't ask. 

"It's showtime Rue," Liv whispered. 

Slowly the door swung open to reveal Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, and New Jack. Tommy Dreamer gritted his teeth as he laid eyes on Ruby, his gaze searching. 

"We don't often make house calls," Tommy said. 

Ruby stared him down, not backing off an inch. "Well I am not just a regular person, now am I?" 

The barest hint of a smile twitched at the corner of Tommy's lips. "I suppose not. Tell me, Ruby, what can Uncle Tommy do for you?" 

"I am glad you asked. My crew and I need some help trying to put down a nuisance once and for all." 

Tommy exchanged looks with his crew, particularly his second in command, Sandman. They seemed to communicate with just gestures and looks, occasionally a grunt as well. Finally, Tommy turned to look at her and nodded. "It's been a while, count us in." 

"What do we get out of it?" New Jack asked, his expression trained on Liv. 

Liv put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and leaned over her, toward New Jack. "You make a valuable ally with access to a port that has limited scrutiny." 

New Jack just chuckled like he was possessed. "Good to know little blondie, good to know. I like the sound of that!" 

Even Tommy Dreamer looked a little unnerved by his associate. "Right, okay. Let us discuss terms and perhaps we can build on this partnership." 

"Why don't we have a meal, break some bread and have a discussion," Ruby wasn't too old school, but she had a certain respect for traditions. She knew a man like Dreamer would be less likely to stab her in the back if she showed some respect now. It seemed that had been the correct move because Tommy gave a nod of approval. 

NXT was going to have their hands full if Ruby could solidify this deal with the ECW Originals. Maybe this could a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties, at least that was what Ruby was hoping for. The Riott Squad was going to need all the help it could get, to defeat the combined forces of NXT and the Aussies,


	19. Not quite what you were looking for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NXT and the Aussies are struggling to get along. Becky goes to see an old 'friend' to find out what the riott squad are up too. Things don't go so well for Bayley when she asks for help, forcing her hand.

\- At the Australian Outback Hotel-

"I don't trust this. I don't trust this or them as far as I can throw them." 

Adam Cole rolled his eyes skyward, subtly praying to whatever deity existed that he wouldn't lose his temper and end up putting a bullet through the head of one of his associates. It had taken some time since most his crew had split and gone underground to weather the storm of the Riott Squad's upcoming retribution, but Adam was slowly reassembling them. As much as he disliked the Australian's power play, they weren't wrong to point out that what remained of NXT's power was safer behind their doors. 

"I understand that Tommaso, but right now we have to play with the cards we've been dealt," Adam replied, casting a glance in the direction of Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm. They hadn't strayed too far away, always lingering nearby, a not too subtle reminder of the power dynamics at play. As much as Adam hated to admit it, the Aussies had the upper hand right now which really sucked, but there wasn't much he could do at this moment to change it. 

So far Adam had managed to find a core group of his supporters. Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly, Tommaso, Johnny Gargano, Candice Lerae, Mia Yim, Velveteen Dream, and Keith Lee were all accounted for. It wasn't as big of a group as he would have wanted and the loss of Bobby Fish was still bothering him. Through some street-level associates, he had learned that Ruby and her squad of misfits had offered an alliance with the ECW Originals. 

It was now that he wished more than ever that Bobby was still here. Not only had Bobby been his friend and his closest confidant, but he had been the one who was the best at strategy. He had been able to take all of Adam's crazy ideas and make them work, he was the glue that kept everything together. His death left Adam scrambling to pick up the pieces and trying desperately to manage the massive gap in talent. 

"Mr. Cole, I just got a message. Ms. Dashwood would like to see you now, you're welcome to bring three of your top associates." Rhea said a smug smile on her features. 

Adam knew what she was doing, she had said it loudly enough that all of his crew could hear. By saying that in front of them, Ripley had put him in a tough spot, because there were a lot of fragile egos. Not picking certain members of his group was going to cause some dissension in their already weak ranks. 

Forcing a smirk of his own and trying to act confident, his eyes scanned over his crew. "Gargano, Ciampa, and Lee, why don't you three come with me? Velveteen, Kyle and Roddy, why don't you all keep reaching out to the others and see if we might shore up the rest of our crew." He shifted his attention to Mia and Candice. "Ladies I know you've had a tough go of it, why don't you have Ms. Storm show you all where the spa is. I am sure Ms. Dashwood wouldn't mind footing the bill for that." 

This was Adam's way of getting back at the Aussies. Candice and Mia weren't exactly the spa type, but separating Toni from Rhea put the power back in their favor for a little bit. It would be a nice little dig at the Aussies to remind them that they were supposed to be partners. 

Toni Storm's eye twitched slightly but she gritted her teeth and took it on the jaw. "Right this way ladies." She said gesturing for them to follow her. 

Adam gave a knowing look to Mia, the implication was clear, if Toni Storm tried anything sketchy, Mia was to gut her like a fish. He then gestured for his men to follow him, as he followed Rhea into the elevator. 

Rhea looked mildly irritated but didn’t say a word, she merely raised a brow. There was a piece of her that was wondering how quickly Adam and his group would turn on them. He had a lot of powerful people in his crew, but he didn’t seem to be utilizing them to their full potential. That was something she was going to have to bring up to Emma. 

“You think Roderick and Kyle will be able to find the others?” Gargano asked. As Adam's underboss, it was important to him to know just where their strength lay. He had supported Adam when he had consolidated power, but if their base was weakened then that was something that needed to be addressed, sooner rather than later. 

Adam thought about it, focusing on the numbers as they lit up in the elevator. “I think they will. I mean the Riott Squad scattered us, but we’ll regroup stronger than ever.” He said trying to be confident, or at least act like it. He didn’t want to show weakness in front of Rhea, no doubt she would snitch on them. Nor did he wanted to reveal just how much the attack had taken out of them, to Johnny. He respected Gargano, but he didn't think that his underboss was going to blindly follow him off a cliff. 

Keith Lee who was usually quiet, took the moment to clear his throat. “I’d like to check out the security measures the Aussies have in place. No offense ma’am but we must prepare for the inevitable.” 

Rhea actually looked amused by that. “I’ll talk to Dunne and Dashwood, we could probably use the assistance.” She was used to having to protect the hotel, but having the help from NXT’s forces could only help. It might also prevent people from trying to betray each other. 

Adam looked to Gargano and Ciampa. He trusted their judgment, but he knew no doubt they would want to be out there finishing off the Riott Squad gang once and for all. They had never done well with being complacent. Hopefully sooner rather than later, they would be able to end this gang war. 

\----

-At the hospital-

“What are you doing here?” Ember Moon was surprised to find Detective Becky Lynch in her hospital room. Ember wasn’t sure when she was going to get discharged but her burns were finally starting to heal. She had been in the hospital for over a week and a half now, and despite the fact that things were starting to get back to normal, she still felt like crap. As far as she knew her cover was still intact, but if Becky was here asking questions, there was no telling how long that would last. She had mixed feelings about Becky, the girl had nearly blown her cover before, but she had also saved Ember and taken her to the hospital.

“I thought I’d check in on a fellow officer.” Becky mused, leaning against the door. 

Ember’s eyes darkened. “Watch it.” She warned, her tone low. She didn’t know who was around and she didn’t want Becky to blow her cover. If any of the squad overheard, it could be the death of her. She didn’t know why Becky was being so reckless. 

“Relax they aren’t around here, I checked. They are planning something.” Becky said, waving away her concern. 

“You know that for a fact?” Ember didn’t know what Ruby was up too, but she had a feeling she’d be filled in at some point. She wasn’t much good to anybody when she was hurt, so she didn’t blame the gang for not keeping her in the loop. 

“Well we don’t know, we’re assuming they are. I was hoping you might have heard something.” Becky confessed, hoping that her hunch would pay off, but it seemed that Ember knew less than she did. 

Ember struggled to sit up, wincing in pain. "Look the Riott Squad is probably aiming to get some sort of revenge. They were attacked and they lost people that mattered to them, I would want revenge too. Your best bet is to keep an eye on Ruby Riott, but I wouldn't get to close. If she thinks she is being trailed, she'll go underground." Ember warned. She had spent enough time undercover with the Squad to realize when they were up to something. 

The longer that Becky stayed observing the criminals of Pembroke Pines, the more she realized just how convoluted and corrupt the city actually was. It seemed like the gangs had their hands in a bunch of different pies, and aside from Finn, Becky wasn't sure who she could trust. She wanted to be able to trust Ember, she thought the cop was decent, but Becky wasn't a hundred percent sure that Ember didn't have some sort of loyalty to Ruby. Spending enough time around a group of people could sometimes forge bonds whether or not the cop had meant too. 

"Riott has some warehouses downtown, she might be hiding out there. If she's seeking to get revenge she'll probably call in reinforcements. I know she has ties to the ECW Originals, it's worth checking out." Ember didn't know what else to offer. She could sense Ruby didn't trust her too much despite the fact that they were supposed to be on the same side. 

"Thanks for the help Ember." 

Ember nodded slowly. "I may be considered one of them, but I haven't forgotten whose side I'm on, detective. Don't forget that." 

Becky chuckled and managed a small smile. "I don't think you'd let me forget even if I wanted too. Heal up Moon, we need you." She looked around Ember's room, noting that it looked pretty desolate aside from some sunflowers in the corner. "Who sent you those." 

"Liv Morgan if you'd believe it. She says sunflowers make everything better." Ember snorted and just shook her head. She had learned at the beginning of her undercover mission not to count Liv out, the wildcard of the Riott gang was always full of surprises.

\----

-At the Riott Squad's laundry mat location-

Bayley was aware of how stupid of an idea this was, walking into a criminal front operation and demanding help. She was essentially demanding help, but she was probably going to word it a little nice. She didn't want to provoke Ruby or the rest of her criminal associates. Bayley needed their help, they had connections in the underworld and if her theory was right, they'd be able to help her stop Mercedes and somehow find Sasha. 

As she made her way into the laundry mat she immediately felt a couple of people staring at her. Almost instantly Sarah Logan appeared in front of her, arms crossed. Sarah sized Bayley up, clearly looking to see if the doctor had any noticeable weapons. 

"What are you doing here Doc? I don't think Ruby called for you." Sarah kept her tone low, clearly suspicious. 

Bayley squared her shoulders, not about to be intimidated by the mob enforcer. "I am here to talk to Ruby. Is she here?" 

Sarah's eyes narrowed slightly. "She's busy at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?" 

"I need to ask her for a favor. I am not sure you could help me." Bayley admitted, knowing it would be better to talk to Ruby. She had a slight feeling that Ruby would be more receptive to her issue. 

Sarah folded her arms across her chest. "As I said, she's busy at the moment. I'll let her know you stopped by." 

Bayley took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper under control. "Look I am not here to fight with you-"

"Good you'd lose and I would hate to have to kick your ass." Sarah interrupted. 

Bayley just ignored her. "I need to talk to Ruby, so either you go get her or I'll do it myself," Bayley said staring Sarah down. "Because at some point you or your little boyfriend are gonna need my help again, and if you don't do me a favor, well an unfortunate accident might befall you." 

Sarah raised a brow, her hand going to the gun she kept in her waistband. She drew it and pointed it at Bayley, clicking the safety off. "Did you just threaten me?" 

"No, I made you a promise," Bayley said, stepping forward so that the barrel of the gun was pressed against her forehead. At this point, she was a little scared, but the fact that Sasha was out there in danger and without her, made Bayley more fearful. 

"Enough!" Ruby snapped as she emerged from the back office. "Sarah put your gun away unless you intend to use it." Ruby reprimanded. 

"Just the woman I was looking for." Bayley mused turning to look at Ruby, who was scowling. 

Sarah put her gun away, but she was clearly miffed. "I'm taking five, boss," Sarah said, storming out of the laundry mat. 

Ruby watched her enforcer leave before glancing at the doctor. "You're either really dumb or you just have a death wish. Why are you here Doc?" 

"I need your help finding Sasha," Bayley said cutting right to the chase. 

"Do I look like a private detective? I am not some sort of lost and found miracle worker." Ruby snorted, shaking her head. "In case you missed it, there's a gang war going on and I have some pressing issues that are more important than a runaway firefighter." Ruby knew her words were cold, but she was trying to get Bayley to leave. If any of the ECW Originals saw her or realized that she was a doctor, it was very possible she could get dragged and taken to their organization. Bayley even showing up like this put the girl In danger if NXT and the Aussies found out. 

Bayley just stared at her, anger rising up inside of her at Ruby's blatant dismissal. "Are you kidding me? I helped you countless times!"

Ruby's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I more than returned the favor, princess. I bailed your little girlfriend out of jail, I got her a fancy lawyer. In my eyes, we are more than even." Ruby said lowly. She was starting to get a little fired up, so far she had allowed Bayley a lot more leniency then others would get. She had killed people for less. 

"So you are not going to even help me look for Sasha?" Bayley asked. She felt tears of frustration starting to well up, but she wasn't going to allow herself to get emotional. That wasn't going to help her find Sasha. 

Ruby smirked and nodded. "Bingo, see I guess you are smart after all. Now get lost before you get yourself hurt and if I was you, I'd avoid Sarah for a while. She seemed a little sulky." 

Bayley spun on her heels, visibly shaking from how angry she was. If Ruby and her Squad wasn't going to help her, then she'd just have to find another way to track down Sasha. For a brief moment she thought about trying to use Alexa and her PI firm, but that probably wasn't the best course of action. Her thoughts drifted to Shayna, if anybody knew Sasha as well as she did, it would be Shayna. She wasn't sure if Sasha's firefighter partner was up for the adventure, but right now she seemed like the best bet. Bayley made her way back to the car, deciding to go back to the hospital to talk to Shayna. What she failed to notice was somebody watching her from the alleyway, intently tracking her movements.


End file.
